


Voyd & Voyage: Portal Pals

by LostInTheThicket



Category: Incredibles (Pixar Movies), Original Work
Genre: A Whole Lotta Gang Shit, Action/Adventure, Budding Love, Dimension Travel, F/M, Friendship, Gen, Gimmicks, M/M, Mild Language, Minor Violence, Original Character(s), Portal Pals, Surprise Cameo, Voyd's Adorable
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-12
Updated: 2018-12-21
Packaged: 2019-06-26 06:10:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 27,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15657342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LostInTheThicket/pseuds/LostInTheThicket
Summary: Two heroes from a different dimension, Voyage and Current, travel through the cosmos to chase after a dangerous new foe. They suddenly find themselves in New Urbem, face-to-face with none other than Voyd and the Incredibles. When Voyage and Voyd's new friends suffer the wrath of their new foe's schemes via a notorious gang, a new friendship emerges. (Contains Helen, Voyd, and Violet) (Contains spoilers - The Incredibles 2)The Final Chapter: The Medium (Golden Hour)Available Now! Happy Halloween...Epilogue I: Memory and Epilogue II: Voyage & Current: The Spark Beyond DimensionsEpilogue I: Coming Soon // Epilogue II: Available now!





	1. The Message

**Author's Note:**

> In case you don't know, I don't own the Incredibles and its related characters. Brad Bird, Pixar, and Disney do. New Toronto, as well as Voyage, Current, and its related characters belong to me. Any feedback or advice would be appreciated.
> 
> Spoilers for Incredibles 2 are throughout the story, too.
> 
> And thank you for reading. :)
> 
> P.S.: Anyways, my story is done. I can't tell you how much work it was, but I love the Incredibles. I really love Voyd. And I love my OCs to death. I hope that you might like 'em too. <3

It's a rather cloudy and boring day in the futuristic version of Kensington Market in New Toronto. Looking out of his bedroom window, a dark-skinned man with long dreads gazes out, inspecting something. He turns to his computer screen with a stunned look on his face as he mumbles.

"Hello? You there? Just… Wait, wait. Just h-h-hold on. Let me speak, please."

Inside of a bedroom filled with fancy technology, instruments, and clothes on the floor, a holographic face appears via a stylish white cellphone on a desk. The face of a freckled, red-headed woman appears, her expression is mixed with shock and disbelief.

The young man talks to the woman as his usually melodic accent comes through in a desperate, rushed tone. "You gotta come and see this. What I'm seeing… It's mad weird. It's… it's kinda important."

 **Axel Price** , aka.  **Current** , a recently-new 24-year-old Bajan-Canadian superhero, adjusts his hair in a ponytail. Still stunned, he sees his friend's face as she looks visibly worried. A soft, Northern Irish accent leaves the young woman's lips. Axel's eyes seem to bulge out of his face.

_"Don't worry, Ax. I'll be there in a second."_

Suddenly, an odd humming sound emerges in Axel's small bedroom. Summoning a small purple portal, 24-year old  **Hannah-Faith Yates** , aka.  **Voyage** , steps through it. Her eyes immediately revert to her natural shade of blue.

"Axel, Ax... calm down. You look like you saw a ghost strip or something."

Axel suddenly gets up and guides Hannah to his computer chair. Axel quickly shows Hannah what's on his computer screen.

"This is serious bus- You know what? Look."

A curious and mildly annoyed Hannah looks at the screen. On the screen, an anonymous email is shown on the screen. Hannah's expression quickly changes…

" _I assume I am speaking to the one they call Current. I figured out who you are and who you work with. A young woman named Voyage, am I correct? Do not worry. I'm a friend. I wish to speak to the both of you regarding something big. All will be revealed shortly, but I need your help. Enclosed is a location, a building near an abandoned warehouse. I'll be expecting you two shortly._

_Regards, Shift"_

Hannah turns to Axel.

"What the shit, Ax?! Shift? Who the heck is he? How did someone know about us?"

Axel quickly opens the enclosed picture. It's a screenshot showing a rather dilapidated building with written directions on it. He quickly paces around the room.

"I don't know, Han! How would someone know? Look, look. We gotta head down there and we gotta... we have to bust some heads in. What if it's the 77s or some other Anomaly looking to intimidate us?"

Hannah stands up and calms her friend down, placing her hands on his shoulders.

"Axel, look. We're known in New Toronto, no doubt about that. But let's be smart about this, okay?" Hannah taps the side of his head with a smile. "We don't want both of our noodles cooked."

Axel calms down a bit. "Alright, alright. You wanna call Moon or D.K. for this?"

Hannah looks back at the email and shakes her head. "Mmm, no. Let's do this discreetly."

Axel quickly realizes the hidden meaning through her words. "Lights Out?"

"Aye, you know me so well." Hannah pinches his cheek as her eyes turn purple.

Suddenly, Axel places a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Wait. No Moon, no D.K.,  _and_  no costumes? Seriously?"

With her eyes still purple, Hannah smiles. "It'll be a gamble but if this person discovered our secret, why would we need them?" She summons a bigger portal, able to fit the two of them at the same time.

Axel nods as he takes his blue-and-white shades on the desk, putting it on. "Yeah. Let's get this over with. Lights Out?"

Hannah smiles. "Lights Out. Just like old times. It'll be grand."

They both step through the portal.

* * *

 

The two young heroes emerge out of the portal to the side of the sketchy building highlighted in the email. Axel quickly scans the area outside to find no one around. There are lights in the building as he spots a figure inside.

"Can't believe we're doing this on a Friday afternoon," Axel whispered. "You ready?"

Hannah takes her black-and-pink shades from her pocket and puts it on.

"Always. Time to find some answers. Let's go."


	2. The Call to Action, Part 1

It's a rather sunny day in the metropolis of New Urbem. The television screens in many stores paint a vivid montage of events that recently changed the city and – perhaps – the world. A massive cruise ship encased in ice, two figures falling out of the sky, and a dastardly plot foiled by Elastigirl, the Incredibles, and Frozone.

Walking past a store showcasing the recent month's events, a young, slender woman with teal-blue hair stops and stares at the screens. Dressed in stylish casual wear, her face immediately blushes in shame. Using her floppy hat, she hides her face from wandering eyes.

She whispers to herself under her breath. "I wish I could've done more..."

A middle-aged, married couple walks past her on the sidewalk. The middle-aged woman, a woman with way too much makeup, spots the woman's teal-blue hair.

"Honey, that lady over there looks a lot like that superhero. What's her name again? Voila?"

Too nervous to speak up in self-defence, the teal blue-haired woman quickly plans an escape route.

"Is… is that Bomb Voyage?" She quickly points in the opposite direction.

To her surprise, the woman attracts the attention of many other people in the vicinity along with the couple. She quickly walks near an alley and summons a small, blue-ringed portal. She steps through it, finding herself in one of the rooms of DevTech Industries.

The woman rubs her face as she takes a deep sigh. "C'mon, Karen! Get it together."

Suddenly, a mature, motherly voice rings out from inside the room.

"I'm sensing a bit of déjà vu with that line."

 **Karen** , aka.  **Voyd**  recognizes the voice immediately as she's met with two familiar faces. One of them, dressed in her signature Incredibles gear, is the legendary  **Elastigirl, aka. Helen Parr**. She is with  **Winston Deavor** , the CEO of DevTech. Too excited to speak, Karen nervously wrings her hands together. She walks up to her mentor and recently, one of her dearest friends.

Karen squeals in delight. "Oh! Elasti... Erm, I mean... Hi, guys. "

Winston is pleasantly surprised as he saunters his way towards Karen. "Ahh, if it isn't Voyd. You see, Elastigirl, I told ya she'd show up before I called her. A real Super's intuition!"

Helen chuckles as she shakes her head.

"If I had a 'real Super's intuition', I'd win the lottery. Nice to see you again, Karen."

Karen's eagerness and her nervousness almost seems to fuse as she runs up to Helen, hugging her. In her mind, the thought of Elastigirl knowing her name was everything she dreamed of. Yet, what the Screenslaver did to her filled her mind with guilt.

"Yeah! Same here! It's been a while. Ever since… Well, um, you know..."

With an earnest smile, the mature hero places her hand on Voyd's shoulder.

"Listen. No need to beat yourself up over what happened. At the end of the day, Evelyn's in jail, the city's saved, and…"

Winston cuts in on the conversation. "And superheroes are legal again! Besides, you've been a tremendous help with Elastigirl and the other Supers lately."

Helen nods and smiles, continuing to heap on the praise. "Not only that, but you've been an amazing babysitter for the kids. They've taken a liking to you. Especially Violet."

Karen blushes as she smiles.  _"OH MY GOODNESS! DID SHE JUST SAY THAT?"_ She thought.

"Heh, heh. Well, they're all pretty great. Dealing with Jack-Jack can be... troubling. It's like he's always peering outside that darn window."

Helen laughs. "Ah, that. You'll have to talk to my husband about it. Anyways, we need your help. Violet will meet us after school."

A look of curiosity creeps through the somewhat nervous hero's face. "Vi? Umm, for what, exactly?"

Overhearing the two women catching up, Winston smiles as he joins in once more. "Well, I figured that with Supers being legal again, why not strike while the iron's hot? Make the most out of a great situation? Break a few eggs?"

The two women look at each other as Helen rolls her eyes in a teasing manner. "You think he's talking too much?"

Karen chuckles as she slowly nods. "A little bit."

Winston laughs, shrugging it off. "Well, allow me to cut to the chase. After my… troubled sister was arrested for her heinous crimes, I acquired her van. I thought about continuing what we did before. Head out on the town and catch some bad guys."

A worried Karen speaks up. "Umm, Mr. Deavor?"

Winston chuckles. "Winston, my dear. Please."

"Winston, I have a question," Karen says. "Wouldn't it be dangerous if someone spots you? You're, like, a big-time CEO."

Helen reassures Karen as she steps forward. "We already have a disguise for him. Plus, we have a plan and a van."

Still worried, Karen bites her lip for a bit. "Okay. What about the other supers? Screech? Reflux? What about Brick?"

Winston shrugs his shoulders. "Unfortunately, with Supers being legal again, the rest of our friends are a bit busy with other missions all over the country."

With a little bit of urgency in her voice, Helen starts to end the conversation.

"Don't worry, I'll fill you in on the way," she said. "The problem is that we might not have enough time, so we need to hurry."

All of a sudden, the doors open as Winston's secretary steps forward. "Mr. Deavor, please turn on the TV."

Without skipping a beat, Winston smiles at his secretary. "Just in time. Thank you."

He turns on the TV as a well-dressed reporter addresses the public.

* * *

" _Breaking News: An armed robbery is in progress at the New Urbem Bank. A total of twenty civilians are inside as the robbers stormed their way in at around 3:15 p.m. Police cruisers have already started to appear outside, alerting nearby civilians to stay away from the scene._ _Further details will be revealed shortly."_

* * *

Winston smiles. "Well, ladies. It's showtime."

Helen puts on her mask. Now as Elastigirl, she turns to Karen with a smirk. "Are you ready?"

With a sense of urgency, Karen nods. From her adorable satchel bag, she takes out her mask. As she stares at it, she smiles as she turns to her mentor. Putting on the mask, her superhero instincts emerge once more.

"Let's be heroes again."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DROPPED CHAPTER 2 IMMEDIATELY. Consider this a double-header for now. Uploading more when I wake up. For my first dip into the fanfic pool here, this seems rather fun. Chapter 3 goes back to New Toronto as Hannah and Axel become Voyage and Current once more. 
> 
> Will they find the answers they seek?  
> Or will they discover something much, much more?
> 
> As always, all feedback is welcome.


	3. The Call to Action, Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously on Voyd & Voyage: Portal Pals, a mysterious message was sent to Current and Voyage. As the two young heroes arrive next to a near-dilapidated building, they find a figure setting lights inside. 
> 
> What will they find? Who will they meet?

Scouting the building from the outside, Axel spots the figure frantically pacing back and forth. Without a word, he turns to Hannah as the two nod – almost in unison. Axel suddenly dematerializes into a frenetic but focused stream of electricity as he envelops the building.

Hannah takes a deep breath. "Just like riding a bike, Hannah. You got this."

She witnesses Axel short-circuiting the lights as the figure inside stops and sees the action. Suddenly… the lights go out.

Just before springing into action, Hannah hears a voice from the person. Youthful, but with a hint of maturity behind it. And a bit of fear. Looking around the building, the young man stammers.

"Hel... Hello? Current? Voyage? I'm not going to harm..."

Without warning, the figure inside spots a glowing object near the corner of his eye. He spins around, but he finds nothing. A hand reaches out from behind and covers the young man's mouth as Hannah – her eyes as purple as her portals – catches him off guard.

He sees her behind him. "Let's go for a walk," declared Hannah.

Disappearing behind a portal, the young man is found outside of the building on the ground. Staring up, he spots Hannah. The young man screamed, "Wait! Wait, let me explain!"

The young man spots the stream of electricity materializes back into Axel once more. "You two! Wait, I'm  _not_  gonna hurt you."

Quickly sensing the youth's fear, Axel stands him up against the wall. Quite upset and worried for both his and Hannah's safety, his eyes turn white with rage. Quick sparks of electricity dance around him.

"Who do you work for, huh? Huh? How in the hell do you know us?" The youth tries to speak as Axel cuts him off with a warning. "Ay, ay, don't backtalk me."

Hannah eases Axel's grip as she cuts in between the two men. "Current, wait. Let me do this. I can handle it. Just… ease off and watch for any backup."

Axel reluctantly lets the youth go as he fixes his dreadlocks back into a ponytail. "Fine," Axel uttered. His eyes revert back to brown as the sparks vanish.

He leans forward near the young man. "But lemme catch you cussing her out or trying something. Try it, and you'll see what I'm gonna do to you."

The skies up above are gray and cloudy as it starts to rain. The three individuals walk to the side of the building, slightly protected from the rain.

Hannah gives the young man some space as she begins the not-so-subtle interrogation. "Who are you?"

For the first time, she gets a good look at him. The young man looks to be in his late teens. Tall and slender, he has tan skin, baggy clothing, and a sunken face with heavy bags over his brown eyes. He takes off his beanie, clutching it in his hands. His shoulder-length black hair hides his sadness. With a whisper, the young man responds.

"I'm Shift, but, uh, my real name is Gabriel. Gabriel Ruiz. But call me Gabe. That's what I usually go by."

Axel whips back, a little bit upset. "You're puttin' a lot of faith in giving us your real name."

Gabe nods. "I know, trust me. It seems like I'm crazy, but…"

Hannah extends her hand out, politely interrupting him. "Crazy? Mate, you look terrible," she said with a bit of concern on her face. Start from the beginning, okay?"

With an almost hidden reserve of energy, Gabe tries to bring the two young heroes closer together.

"I honestly have no time to talk about me," Gabe whispered. "I… I need your help."

"Well, make time," said Axel as he shakes off Gabe's hand from his shoulder. "We don't know a single thing about you, but you know quite a bit about us."

Gabe steps back, leaning against the wall. Scanning the area around them, Gabe takes a big sigh of relief. "Sorry about that. I'm just a computer science student, so I used what I know. Besides, I... I just wanted to draw again…"

"Don't give us your life story, Gabe," Hannah said with a slight smile. "You're an Anomaly, right?"

Gabe nods. Hannah continued as she said, "How?"

Gabe looks down at the wet ground as rain pours down on the group. It hides the young man's tears.

"I do art on the side and I bought a new tablet," Gabe said as he wept. "I thought it was gonna be sweet and it was! A Kadrite tablet, first of its kind!"

Hannah and Axel share a look as they nod, a moment of insight on their faces.

"That tablet of yours? I'm assuming it glowed that night, right?" Axel said. "Was it powered by Kad-Tech?"

Gabe answers both of Axel's questions with a nod while he stares into his eyes. Desperate, he's willing to do anything to convince them...

"That night, I did a commission for someone. I was tired, so I fell asleep," Gabe said as his words almost seem to drift slowly out of his lips. "I was... so tired. The next thing I knew, I woke up in this weird place. It looked like I was in the Dark Ages! Only…"

Axel leaned forward as his anger switched to a form of morbid curiosity. "It was?"

Gabe slowly nods.

"Holy shit!" Hannah exclaimed. "You can travel through time?"

Gabe nods once again, his eyes red from the tears.

"So, I assume you don't know anything else about the Manifestation, do ya? Anything about what we are?" Hannah said as she wipes the tears from Gabe's face.

Gabe reels back for a second, but he cautiously accepts Hannah's sentimental offer. He shakes his head as Hannah nods.

"It's okay, we're here to help," said Hannah in a soothing tone. "This is Axel, but you sorta... already... knew that, hehe. My name is Hannah-Faith but call me Hannah. That's what I usually go by, anyway."

She gives a friendly wink as Gabe slowly smiles. "Why do you need us?"

Gabe relents as he says, "I need help because I'm caught up in something… kinda big."

Axel finally calms down, his voice at his usual tone once more. "How big, man?"

"The last couple of weeks, something happened to a friend of mine. His name's Holden. He… He's also an Anomaly," said Gabe.

He looks at Axel and Hannah as they urge him to speak some more. "The two of us always talked about going to space, travelling through time and all of that shit."

"At first, it was just that. You know, basic geeky stuff," Gabe uttered. "But... but after we got powers, we thought about trying it out. For real, you know?"

Hannah leans in closer. "Powers? You mean you have more than one?"

Gabe takes a second and nods before continuing. "Yeah. I learned a couple of things before that damn day. I can travel between dimensions, too. It's like a hidden muscle or something. I can touch someone and have them go, too. I have this, like, symbiotic link when I do that. Like a GPS or something."

Gabe chuckles before a look of sadness washes over his face.

Hannah holds his shoulder. "What happened? Tell us, please."

"That day… The day I did my thing, Holden was gone."

"You had the link and everything?"

"For about 45 seconds."

"45 seconds?!" Hannah holds her hand to her face as she turns to Axel.

"The hell happened after that?" Axel declared as he places a hand on Gabe's shoulder.

"The link was hazy like I was wandering in shadows," Gabe whispered. "After five more seconds, I felt nothing after that."

"Nothing? You mean he just up and left?" Axel said as Gabe nods. "Ah, cheese on bread! And you don't know where he might be?"

"I do, I do. I... I thought about a place where there could be more people like us," Gabe said. "Someplace where Holden and I can be more than just two college idiots. I…" Gabe lowers his head, furiously wiping the tears from his eyes.

Hannah comforts him. "Hey, hey, don't fret, okay? You're with friends now," she said. "All we have to do is get him back, right?"

Gabe slowly nods as he looks at the freckled face of Hannah, now with a wide smile. "Well, it's settled!"

Hannah quickly summons a portal. "We're off."

Axel is confused as he opens his arms wide in disbelief. "Off?"

"Yeah."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that!"

Axel shrugs. "We're not gonna question him further?"

Hannah turns with a smile. "He's not gonna lie to us, Ax. Gabe will fill in the rest back at HQ. This is a once-in-a-lifetime rescue mission. We live for this, man."

Gabe turns to Axel with an equally-confused look, putting his beanie back on. "Wha… What's happening?"

Axel stares down at his slight reflection in the puddle near him. He smiles with a slight chuckle before turning to Gabe.

"I think it's time for you to meet the rest of the Gimmicks."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was a lot to write. Anyways, the next chapter will be titled Convergence. That chapter will be almost as long as this one, but it'll be worth it. You'll see Voyage and Current in the world of the Incredibles for the first time! Ooooh, I am excited, y'all. 
> 
> Anyways, feel free to give me feedback.


	4. Convergence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously on Voyd and Voyage: Portal Pals, Voyd and Elastigirl arrive at DevTech Industries to hear about an armed robbery taking place at the New Urbem Bank. Meanwhile, Hannah and Axel meet a smart and scared Anomaly, Shift, and accept his desperate plea for help. What will happen next when their paths... converge?

Sirens. On a typical Friday afternoon, sirens like these are a rarity. But unfortunately, today is no such day.

There are bad vibes all over New Urbem as police cruisers flood the streets, all ready to meet outside of the New Urbem Bank. They speed past semi-crowded roads as men, women, and children look on in panic. As one cruiser speeds past an alley, a dark van is wedged within it. Lurking in the streets, Karen – now dressed as Voyd – meets with Helen Parr, aka. Elastigirl, behind the van.

Elastigirl paces back and forth. "Is the coast clear?"

"Yeah. It's clear for now," whispered Voyd as Elastigirl scans the area.

Elastigirl nods. "Good," Elastigirl said. "This might take longer than we thought."

She has a worried look on her face as she mutters a few words under her breath. " _Where are you, sweetie?"_ Elastigirl wondered, waiting patiently for her daughter.

Voyd senses Elastigirl's nervousness as she steps forward. "Umm, He... I mean, Elastigirl?"

"Yes, Voyd? What's wrong?" Elastigirl said, visibly stressed.

"Is… everything alright?" Voyd places a hand on her mentor's shoulder. "I mean… I might not know the full story, but if there's only a couple of bank robbers, why bring Vi here? What if they're armed?"

Elastigirl looks at the hand before turning to Voyd. She has a slight smile on her face.

"Well, I'm afraid that might be the least of our worries," she whispered. "There may be…"

Without warning, Elastigirl suddenly gets nudged by an unseen force. Smiling, she whips around to feel someone hugging her. Materializing out of thin air in her classic costume,  **Violet Parr**  appears in her mother's arms. Smiling, she then runs over and hugs Voyd.

Voyd, with one of the biggest smiles on her face, hugs her back. "Hey, Vi."

Violet has a bit of a worried look on her face. Nevertheless, she smiles back at Voyd. "Hey, Kare-Bear. Mom, Mom, I got here as fast as I could. I read the news report…"

Before Violet can finish her sentence, the three women hear commotion nearby before they hear a sound. The sound of a crash.

The sound is deafening. Loud. It's as if a truck was being crushed for all the world to hear.

Voyd nervously clasps her hands together. "Umm, that sounds dangerous."

Winston, in a surfer dude costume, quickly appears from inside the van.

"That's because it is," he declared. "I've managed to incorporate some of my sister's designs and created a Super Detector. There's a new super here, but it might not be super for us."

The three women all stare at each other, fully realizing the gravity of the situation.

* * *

Back in New Toronto, Gabe walks through one of Hannah's portals as he sees an intriguing, jet-black room. Scanning the room, he sees a wide number of screens, gadgets, and a dashing little AI companion that hovers and zips in the air.

In an adorable, squeaky voice, the AI appears in front of Hannah. With a smiley face, it bobs up and down. "Hey, Hannah! Welcome back! It's nice to see you again!"

Hannah smiles as she pets the companion. "Well, hello to you too. Gabe, this is…"

The little flying robot then notices Axel and Gabe. Axel looks bewildered as he turns to Gabe. "A phishing e-mail? Really?"

Gabe nods with a bit of a sly smirk. "To be fair, it was a while ago. And it was  _kinda_ convincing."

"Cheese on bread, man," Axel said, completely ashamed.

The companion hovers beside Hannah. "Ax-Man, it's nice to see… Ooooh."

At the drop of a hat, the AI companion whizzes past Hannah and gets face-to-face with Gabe. "Hellooooooo! I am a Mechanized Exploration and Ground Assistance Neural Network. You, however, can call me M.E.G.A.N.N.!"  **Megann**  tries her hardest to hug Gabe as he fearfully hugs her back.

Gabe whispers to Axel. "Umm, hey, Megann. Does she do that to…"

Axel places a hand on Gabe's shoulder and taps it. "What do you think, man?"

As Gabe grins, he suddenly spots a fashionable-looking woman near the array of screens. Her focus matches her looks – razor-sharp, precise, and quite intoxicating. She spins around to spot the three people as she removes a fancy pair of high-tech goggles from her face.

Hannah quickly introduces her to Gabe. "Gabe, this is Kim Moon-Young, aka. Visage. We just call her Moon. It's a cool name."  **Moon**  stands up, performing an exaggerated bow.

Gabe's eyes widen. "Holy shit. You're Visage?! You're a member of the Gimmicks, too?"

Moon approaches Gabe. "That's why people call me a chameleon," she said. "I'm full of surprises."

The Korean-Canadian woman winks as she giggles a bit. "Annyeong, guys! So, what's the story?"

Hannah steps forward with a curious look on her face. "Where's D.K.?"

"He's not here. He's handling a situation with a rogue Anomaly in Chicago. Won't be here for a while. Why? What's wrong?"

With no time to explain, Axel steps forward. "We have a complex rescue mission involving someone trapped in a different dimension."

Moon's eyes bulge. "Umm, okay… Anything else?"

"It involves him, too." Axel motions to Gabe. "Gabe, whatever you gotta do, do it quickly."

Gabe takes a step back in a bit of a nervous panic.

"Umm, you're actually going to get Holden? I mean, that's okay. Keep in mind that I don't… I don't know what might happen to you once..."

Hannah steps forward. "Don't worry. He'll be fine. That's because I'm coming too."

"Are you sure?"

* * *

Sensing the time to act might be near, Elastigirl kneels as she places a hand on Violet's shoulder. "Armed robbers might be something you're not quite used to. There could be hostages."

As confident as she could be, Violet stares intently into her mother's eyes. "You told me one day that when the time comes, I'll know what to do." She nods. "I'm ready."

Inside the van, Winston sends a message through a communicator hidden in Voyd and Elastigirl's masks. "Alright, it's almost showtime. We got one chance before the robbers make a break for it. Ready if you are."

Elastigirl smiles, admiring her daughter's growth. "I'm so proud of you," she said before turning to Voyd. "Ready to save the day, Voyd?"

Voyd summons a portal nearby as she smiles. "Let's do this."

* * *

Gabe sits down on one of the chairs as he stares up at the group. "Alright. But I have something to tell you. It could be important."

Megann zips by as her LED screen displays a thumbs-up. "We're all friends here, good buddy. Right?"

Moon, Axel, and even Hannah show a bit of restraint before nodding slowly. Gabe takes a breath before nodding, relaxing in the chair. "Alright… So, here it is."

Gabe turns to Hannah and Axel. "Once I take you two to the same place I shifted Holden, you'll feel something. Like a weird feeling in the back of your head, y'know? That's the link. Hold on to it."

Axel nods. "Got our outfits ready, Moon?"

Moon hands Axel and Hannah fancy watches. "These watches are built with your DNA in mind," Moon explains. "You two can access your costumes no matter where you are. I think D.K. created this. I just know how it works."

Hannah smiles. "Works for me. Thanks, Moonie. Ready, Ax?"

Axel nods, turning to Gabe.

* * *

"Yeah. Right behind ya, Kare-Bear."

Voyd moves quickly, investigating the scene from the alley. She makes out signs of the six robbers looking to escape through the front door with a hostage in tow.

Voyd says, "There's six of them. I can take two of them here. You guys do the rest."

Elastigirl and Violet nod as Voyd creates a wormhole in front of her. She spots the feet of two of the robbers heading down the stairs. She takes the two robbers and pulls them through.

The two robbers have no time to react as Violet creates a force-field around their guns. Reaching for them in despair, the two goons spot Elastigirl doing an acrobatic flourish, using her elasticity to her advantage. With a whirling display of her hand-to-hand skills, she knocks them out cold with ease.

One of the remaining robbers spots Voyd from a distance. "Crap, it's a Super! What are we gonna do?"

The robber screamed as another voice, a youthful one with a bit of meanness, speaks up from behind a mask depicting an oni.

"No time to deal with them. We got what we need! Let's go!"

The robbers make a break for it as the three women see them get away. Winston emerges, placing them in handcuffs. "Go! I'll take it from here!"

Without a second to waste, Elastigirl and Violet chase the robbers through one of Voyd's portals. Voyd takes a short breath and follows them.

* * *

Gabe nods before realizing something else. "Oh! I need something from you." He extends a hand out to Hannah. "Once you have my friend, bring him back to the same area I'll be shifting you guys to, okay?"

"Okay... But, why do you need something from me?" Hannah said.

"I can shift you guys back here. However, I need something of yours to make it easier. I'll be… out cold during your time there."

A look of sudden acknowledgement is on Hannah's face. She nods. "Side effect?"

"Yeah."

Hannah takes her favourite red scrunchie off her hair and gives it to Gabe. The three heroes look on in surprise as Megann's LED face turns into a sad face.

"Will you be okay?" Megann mumbled.

With a remarkably sincere look of appreciation, Gabe smiles. "Don't worry about me. Just… fix my stupid mistake, okay? Even if you have to rough Holden up a bit. Just… bring him back, okay?"

Axel and Hannah turn to each other as Axel extends his hand out. "Ready?"

Hannah holds his hand with a smile. "Ooh, going steady, are we?"

Axel laughs. "You actin' real silly, girl. Stop it." He turns to Gabe. "Do ya thing, brother."

Gabe nods. "Okay."

Focusing on the scrunchie, Gabe concentrates as the room is filled with flowing beams of blue and white energy. Like bars from a piece of classical music, they flow with a sense of wonder. A sense of excitement. And for Axel and Hannah, a sense of the unknown. Gabe's hands rise – almost in unison – as the threads of energy coalesce around his hands.

And in an instant… Gabe shifts Axel and Hannah away.

Moon is stunned as Megann's LED face immediately exhibits an X on it. "CHEESE AND C-C-CRACKERS!" She babbled.

As the force of Gabe's shifting resonates around the room, it fades with a low rumble as he slowly falls unconscious. "Take ca…."

Gabe is out cold as Moon nods. "I will, Gabe."

Megann and Moon stare at each other wondering what might happen next…

* * *

Voyd, Violet, and Elastigirl chase after the robbers. The robbers push and pull people – and their hostage – away as Elastigirl helps them up on their feet. Voyd instinctively summons a wormhole in front of them, causing the two robbers in front of them to fall to the ground through another one.

Voyd spots the two on the ground now. "Now!" Violet immediately creates a force-field around the now-drawn guns of the downed robbers and kicks the hell out of them.

"That's my girl!" yelled Elastigirl as she enlarges herself to gain an advantage. The youthful robber and his henchman friend dart into an alley as they are cornered between the Supers and the Police.

One of the officers raises a gun at the two robbers. "We have you surrounded. Put the money and your weapons down!"

The three Supers smile as the larger henchman turns to his superior. "Got an idea, boss?"

Before the young criminal can respond… they hear a sound. The police and the Supers all hear it as well. It is a loud, deafening sound. It's as if a bunch of explosions went off before getting sucked into a black hole.

And then… a pulse. A pulse that knocks everyone to the ground. Everyone except the young criminal.

" _Crap, not yet…"_ He whispers as he takes his stooge friend by the collar. "Going up."

The henchman turns to his friend as he voices his surprise. "Up?! Up whaaaa…?"

The henchman gets lifted into the air. Everyone watches helplessly as the young criminal lifts himself into the air. Carrying the henchman, he hovers.

The young man sarcastically salutes his defeated enemies. "Better luck next time!" And like a bullet, he leaves with the money and the henchman.

Violet is in disbelief. "What… What's going on?!"

The police, Voyd, and Elastigirl run to find the source of the pulse. They race out of the alley to spot two unknown individuals – in their costumes and all – race to the scene of the action. Spotting the two, the police has their weapons drawn as Hannah and Axel, now as Voyage and Current, raise their hands.

" _You saw that, Han?"_ Axel whispered.

Hannah sees the police with their weapons drawn as Elastigirl, Voyd, and Violet emerge shortly after. Hannah spots them.

" _That's not all I see, mate."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT IS DONE! The convergence is here and things are shaping up nicely. I love writing. It gives me something to do and I get to shape everyone's character up in a nice way, too. Whew. I had lots of turkey today, y'all. It was a wild dinner. But it'll be wilder for y'all next time. Just wait until you see the title of the next chapter.
> 
> I'll give y'all a hint: You might not know what'll turn up or go down in that one. Even Newton would be perplexed. ;)


	5. The Force of Gravity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously on Voyd and Voyage: Portal Pals, Voyage and Current follow the call to action. Finding themselves in the strange new city of New Urbem, they're quickly met by Voyd and half of the Incredibles - Elastigirl and Violet. With a strange person making a getaway, what will happen next? Is the mission already over?

_Shortly before the first encounter…_

In the middle of the foyer of a swanky hotel in New Urbem, a family of three makes their way to the front desk. A young girl clutches her mother's hand and an adorable teddy bear by her side. The mother looks back at her daughter.

"We're here, sweetie," the mother said softly, smiling at her baby girl. "Won't be long before our vacation can begin."

The young girl has a somewhat gloomy look on her face, showing signs of fatigue. "I'm tired, mommy. I wanna see something cool."

The father turns to his daughter with a smile. "You'll see something great, kiddo. Trust me!"

The young girl frowns. "Okay, daddy…"

The hotel is somewhat packed as she looks around, hoping to see something cool. Suddenly, a small bead of blue energy forms near the foyer's fountain. It starts to grow and hum as onlookers witness the spectacle. A small crowd forms as the young girl makes a break for it to see the commotion.

"Mommy! Daddy! Look!" The girl screamed, racing and moving past the taller guests to get a good look.

The mother turns and beckons to her daughter. "Honey, stay close to me!"

As soon as the father tries to speak up, a blinding light causes the hotel's guests and staff to shield their eyes. An intense pulse follows, surging throughout the hotel as it continues past its doors. Hannah and Axel emerge shortly after, taking a nice dip in the fountain's waters.

"Oooooh, oh... Oh no, it's cold!" Axel yelled, quickly getting out of the fountain.

Hannah, not particularly happy about their arrival, mumbles as she leaps out of the fountain. "Oh, jeez, Ax. You weren't kiddin'. It's cold as he… Wait, look!"

Pointing to the TV, Hannah spots news footage of a trio of superheroes chasing armed robbers. Axel and the rest of the hotel's guests look on. The two heroes look at each other.

Axel smiles. "Wanna beat those heroes to the punch?"

Hannah nods. "Don't have to tell me twice, mate," she said with a smile.

Spotting the young girl, Hannah turns to her with a wink and a salute as they run past the doors. The mother and father find the young girl as she turns to her parents, a wide smile on her face.

"Mommy, Daddy, did you see that?!"

* * *

The onlookers all turn to each other in shock and awe as Hannah and Axel dart out of the hotel. Spotting an alley, Axel motions to Hannah. She nods as they retreat through it. During their run, they activate a command through their watches.

Together, the two heroes say in unison, "Let's switch it up!"

Suddenly, an aura of light envelops their bodies. Fading away, Hannah and Axel emerge as Voyage and Current, heroes of a different dimension.

"Got a good look at that bank?" Current said, keeping up the pace.

"Uh-huh! Get ready!" Voyage said, quickly summoning a portal as the eyes behind her stylish shades turn purple.

Leaping through the portal, the two quickly feel the pulse as it rushes through the city. Shattering windows and knocking people prone, the pulse continues to rip through the city. The heroes experience the shockwave, bracing on bended knee. Current spots a figure rise and hover in the air.

"Uhh, Han? Han!" Current points to the figure, his voice filled with disbelief. He turns to his fellow superhero.

Voyage's eyes widen as she starts to pick up the pace once more. "How is that possible? Let's go!" Voyage squeaked.

Voyage and Current make their way towards the scene as the two are met with a squad of police officers with their weapons drawn. One of the officers shouts at the two, his voice frustrated and dazed.

"Hands in the air! Don't move!"

Voyage turns to her friend as she sees a worried look on Current's face.

"Looks like we're stallin' the ball, Ax. Easy now, _"_ Voyage whispered as three figures emerge out of the crowd of officers.

"You saw that, Han? _"_ Axel whispered.

The two heroes spot the same three superheroes they saw on the television. Elastigirl, Violet, and Voyd emerge through the police squadron. Elastigirl and Violet angrily stares at Voyage. The hero's eyes widen under her shades as her freckled face blushes in shame.

" _That's not all I see, mate."_

The heroes surrender as police moves closer. Voyage and Current are quickly cuffed as they are forced to sit on the sidewalk.

* * *

Miles away from the crowd of officers and heroes, the two masked robbers arrive near their hideout. The young man slowly levitates before dropping his accomplice, levitating the bags of money. "We're here," the young man said half-heartedly.

He plants his feet on the ground as his accomplice leaps up off the ground. Quite tall and hefty for his size, he's up on his feet in seconds. He wipes the dirt and beads of sweat on his bearded face.

"Holy crap, that was close," the big man said with a sigh. "Thanks for saving my hide back there, boss."

"Don't worry about it, man. At least you were quick." The young man takes off his mask and stylish fedora. He's in his early 20s with fair skin and curly, dirty blonde hair. His green eyes look up at his taller, more muscular acquaintance as he smirks, shaking his head. He then nods to the door.

"Oh! I got it, boss. I owe you one." The stooge chuckled as he does a rhythmic knock on the door. The seemingly wooden door shifts to the left as a fancy elevator arrives to greet them.

The young man scoffs, slightly smiling as he does so. "You better, Pinky," the young man said. "We almost bit it back there."

Arriving down to their real base of operations,  **Pinky**  escorts his boss towards the rest of their gang. The young man stares off into the distance, his thoughts known only to him…

" _I'm better off without you,"_ he thought to himself, balling his hands into fists.

After the ride down, the two men are in a room filled with fancy weaponry, boards detailing certain runs, and the rest of the gang sitting and standing around a table filled with liquor, cigars, and playing cards. Some of the air is filled with smoke as Pinky laughs. His boss walks nonchalantly behind him.

"Guess what we got, boys and girls!" Pinky roared as the rest of the gang welcomes the two back. At the front of a table, an attractive, sharp-dressed woman applauds the two. She has black skin, a short, red and black bob over one eye, and a sly smirk on her face.

The young man smiles. "Hey, Kali."

"Took ya long enough, Holden," the woman said, "I was almost upset."

 **Holden Rudd**  smiles as  **Kalianni Raye** , aka.  **Kali** tenderly rubs his cheek. Holden turns to his new 'pals' as he grins from ear-to-ear. Holden waves his hand as the bags of money floats to the table as the bills pour out.

"Alright, guys, we lost a couple of good ones to the cops," Holden said. "However, we got what we need. It's time for Phase Two." Holden said as the gang roars in delight.

Holden stares into the distance...

* * *

Elastigirl and Violet talk quietly as their eyes dart towards Voyage and Current. Voyd timidly walks in between them to avoid the strangers' gazes, but not before she glances at them. Noticing this, Current quickly turns on the Bajan-Canadian charm.

"What's new? How did ya spend your day today?" He said, his voice seemingly dripping with charisma.

Sensing what her friend's trying to do, Voyage follows suit.

"Yes, hey, stranger. How are ya? What's the craic?" Voyage said, smiling warmly at Voyd. The nervous Voyd smiles as she walks away, trying her best to avoid any conversations. She walks up to the Parrs as Elastigirl rubs her face in frustration.

"Umm, Elastigirl," Voyd murmured, moving closer to her mentor. "What do you think we should do?"

Elastigirl urges both Voyd and Violet to move closer as the three ladies form a huddle.

"Alright, here's the plan," Elastigirl declared. "We get what we need from them. If they try to get away, Voyd can do her thing and we take them to jail."

"Is that all?" Violet said. "No good cop, bad cop routine? I can be the quiet cop that stares at them like this…"

Violet quickly steps out of the huddle and crosses her arms in a threatening manner. Seeing this, Current turns to Voyage as he shakes his head, trying his best not to laugh near the officers. Unfortunately, Voyage giggles. Hearing this, Elastigirl turns to the two cuffed heroes.

"Is something funny?" Elastigirl shouted with a bit of a scowl.

Without thinking, Voyage tries the old Derry charm once more.

"No, no. It just seems like we're stuck here, so we are." She turns to Violet. "I'm pretty sure she knows we wouldn't hurt a fly. Aye?" Voyage then turns to Current.

Current tries to mimic his friend's Northern Irish accent. He does it poorly.

"Aye, aye, yes. We're… sort of new to town, so we are. We don't mean any trouble, yeah?"

Voyage pouts before kicking Current in the knee. "Ow, Han… I mean, Voyage."

Voyd giggles as her and Voyage exchange a look. They smile at each other. "Look, you seem like a delight," Voyage said. "Does it look like we'd help  _those_ muppets?"

Nervously rubbing her hands together, Voyd turns to Elastigirl. "I don't know… Maybe she has a point. Maybe we should hear them out."

Elastigirl stares at Voyd and starts to shake her head before she looks at Voyage and Current. Still on the sidewalk and handcuffed, Voyage and Current gives her the 'sad puppy' look through their shades. Slightly irritated, Elastigirl issues the two young heroes to stop.

"Alright, enough," she said. "But don't make me regret this."

The experienced hero issues the officers to remove the handcuffs. "Officers, we'll hear them out for now," Elastigirl said as she turns to Voyage and Current.

"Alright. You've got your wish. Do you want to talk? Let's talk." From behind her mother, Violet smirks at the two.

Voyage and Current gulp in unison.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, all feedback will be welcome. No need to be shy.
> 
> I don't bite... Unless you got a donut. If you do, say goodbye to your snack, bud. :P


	6. Two Steps Forward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously on Voyd & Voyage: Portal Pals, we find out that Holden has been working with a mysterious group of individuals. Meanwhile, Voyage and Current try to save the day once again. Failing to do so, they're met with heroes of New Urbem - Elastigirl, Violet, and Voyd. What will happen when they all meet under the same roof? Well, let's find out, shall we?

Silence.

It's night-time in New Urbem as a full moon shines down on the city. Its glow illuminates through the windows of the CEO Suite at DevTech Industries.

Hannah and Axel - still dressed as Voyage and Current - awkwardly sits on a lush white couch. In front of them, Elastigirl crosses her arms with a cautious look on her face. Ever vigilant, the seasoned hero steps forward. Nearby, Winston leans over his desk, rhythmically tapping on it. Violet looks on, trying to copy her mother's pose as she stares the two down.

Silence.

Finally, her voice cuts through the silence with a gentle, but suspicious tone.

"Alright, let me see if I understand this clearly," Elastigirl said as she paces back and forth. "You two… are from a different dimension, right?"

Voyage and Current nods.

"You came here – without telling us how, by the way – to bring someone back?"

"Pretty much," Current said with a nod.

"Hit the hammer on the… I mean nail on the head, ma'am." Voyage uttered.

Current closes his eyes and shakes his head in shame. Giggling nearby, they all hear Voyd as her eyes widen. With an awkward smile, she awkwardly takes a step back. She sees Voyage again as they exchange a brief but pleasant smile.

"And that pulse we all felt?" Elastigirl continued as she moves closer to the two heroes. "It knocked us all over except the one that got away. Did you guys know about that?"

Voyage and Current wave a hand out. "Sort of..." The heroes said in unison.

Silence. Elastigirl raises an eyebrow as she stares at them, one by one. Suddenly, she lets out a deep sigh.

"Well, at least you know more about the situation than we do."

Confused, Voyage and Current stare at each other and everyone else in the room.

"Umm, what do you mean?" Voyage asked.

Winston steps forward as he starts to speak. Violet beats Winston to the punch.

"Well, this gang showed up out of nowhere and started to create chaos," Violet said, standing next to Elastigirl. "They're quite dangerous and intelligent. Not like most robbers." She looks at her mother.

Elastigirl looks back and nods. "Plus, we suspected for a while that they may have someone pulling the strings. Someone powerful."

Voyage and Current turn to each other with a look of disbelief on their faces. Voyage then turns to Elastigirl.

"A… a while?" Voyage said.

"Yes. It's been three months now," Elastigirl groaned. "That's only the second time we got a good look at the possible mastermind."

The two heroes eyes widen as they both react in shock. 

"What's the gang called?" Current said.

Voyd steps forward, ready to join in on the conversation. Winston beats her to the punch.

"They're called the Backdraft Gang and they're giving us problems," Winston stated.

The Parrs move to the side as Winston steps forward. Voyage and Current stares at the CEO. Clearing his throat, he begins to speak.

* * *

**(Montage of the Backdraft Gang committing various robberies)**

" _The Backdraft Gang started their string of robberies three months ago. They've managed to hit up banks and businesses from New Urbem to Municiberg. The Backdraft Gang are dangerous. As you guys should know by now, they're not above putting innocent lives at risk. We only know two members, Kalianni Raye and Pinky…"_

* * *

Current raises a finger, catching Winston's attention. "Umm, Pinky?"

"Yes. I said Pinky. May I continue?" Winston insisted.

Current nods as he gestures to Winston to continue. His Bajan accent creeps in once more. "Do ya thing, brother." Winston nods with a slight bow.

* * *

_"Both of them are dangerous in their own ways."_

**(A scene of a masked Kali raising her gun, silently ordering a teller to empty out the register.)**

" _Kalianni Raye is a known criminal to police and the Supers here. She's smart, cunning, and charismatic. She'll stop at nothing to get what she wants. She's eluded us many times."_

**(A scene of someone lunging at Kali before being knocked down to the ground by Pinky.)**

" _Raymond Lynch, aka. Pinky. He's strong like a bull but he's no slouch. He's not a leader, but he's smart enough to give the gang some muscle."_

* * *

"But what about the leader?" Voyage said with a worried tone to her voice.

Winston tries to speak, but Voyd finally beats him to the punch. Nervous but wanting to help, she speaks up.

"Umm, that's someone we… we don't know yet," Voyd stammered. "I've only seen him once before, but… we couldn't stop him."

Voyage looks at Voyd with a sad look. "Why not?"

The nervous hero shakes her head. "He's… he's too powerful." Voyd's eyes start to light up. "Oh, but we were close one day! I helped the Incredibles and we almost got them! But…" She starts to squeeze her hands together nervously, staring at Elastigirl.

Staring back at Voyd, Elastigirl slowly nods. "Unfortunately, we were taken for a loop. That man in the sky? He was there. It's like he can… alter the gravity of everything around him."

Stunned, Voyage's eyes widen. "Well, that's a new one," she uttered.

Elastigirl chuckles. "Yeah, I said the same thing to my husband after that man made him fall flat on his face."

"Husband?" Voyage looks at the Parrs. "Is he a superhero, too?"

Violet steps forward. "In case you haven't noticed, it kinda runs in the family." She said as she points at the symbol on her outfit.

"Ohhhh, so  _that's_  what the letter meant." Voyage exclaimed as she turns to Current. "I thought it meant Invincibles."

Violet turns to her mother with outstretched arms. "See, I  _told_ Dad 'Mr. Invincible' didn't sound like a dumb idea."

Shaking her head, Elastigirl laughs. With more confidence, Voyd steps forward. "Oh, um, do you two know anything about that guy?"

Current nods, realizing the situation. "Yeah. Pretty sure our friend is your pain in the ass."

Elastigirl quickly covers her daughter's ears as she glares at Current. Spotting Violet, he covers his mouth.

"Oh, oops. My bad." Current mumbled.

Voyage stares at her new acquaintances, a look of resolve on her face. "We might've made things harder for you guys, but we can help," she said with a soft smile. "That's the least we can do." Voyage turns to Current as he nods.

Elastigirl turns to everyone else. Tentatively, they nod and smile.

"Alright. Guess that settles it." Elastigirl stands up, extending her hand out to the two. "As long as you're here, we'll take care of you. It's the least we can do."

She smiles as Voyage and Current shakes her hand.

* * *

Voyd leads Voyage and Current to their temporary apartment. A beautiful sight to behold, it's elegant, spacious and very classic in its design. Voyd eagerly steps forward, smiling with a bit of nervousness.

"Here we are! This is where you guys will stay," she muttered. "I hope… you guys liked it. I… I helped Winston pick it out for you."

The two heroes look and stare in wonder and awe. "This is solid!" Current exclaimed. "Cheese on bread…"

Voyage smiles at Voyd. "You have great taste. I love it so much."

Voyd's eyes seem to sparkle as she blushes. "Oh! Umm, thanks! I've always been a fan of art and design." She does a cute little curtsy as she laughs. She sees the two smile as they laugh with her.  _For the first time in a while_ , she thought,  _she's making new friends_ _._

"Well, you have an eye for it, that's for sure." Voyage suddenly activates the same command on her watch. Current and Voyd see the same light appear and fade away as they see Hannah step forward.

"Allow me to properly introduce myself. I'm Hannah-Faith, but you can call me Hannah," Hannah said as she extends her hand out to Voyd. "Pleasure to meet ya."

Sensing Hannah's friendly nature, Voyd slowly takes her mask off. Smiling at Hannah once more, Karen shakes her hand.

"You probably know me as Voyd, but you can call me Karen," she said. "It'll be nice to work with you."

The two new friends exchange a smile as Axel, deciding to transform out of his identity, salutes Karen.

"I'm Axel. Nice to meet ya too. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna see if there are grapes in the fridge." As Axel starts his journey into the fridge, Hannah giggles as she turns to Karen.

"Good night, Karen. Next time the Backdraft Gang shows their faces, we'll be ready."

Karen smiles and nods before she summons a portal in the room. Shocked and excited, Voyage points at it.

"Oh, oh! I can do that too!" Without warning, Hannah's eyes turn purple as she creates a portal behind Axel to slap him.

Stunned, Axel turns to the girls with grapes in his mouth. "Hannah!" he mumbled. Hannah turns to Karen as Karen laughs, covering her mouth to make Axel feel better.

"Good night, Hannah."

Before Karen steps through the portal to her house, Hannah extends her arms out in an attempt to hug her. "I'll see you tomorrow… Portal Pal. Ehh? Ehh?"

Slightly nervous but happy, Karen settles for a timid high-five with Hannah as she softly smiles. "Um, sure. See you tomorrow." As Karen leaves, Hannah turns to Axel with both thumbs high in the air.

"I made a new superhero friend!" Hannah squealed.

* * *

_**The Portal Pals unite! Kinda, sorta... Okay, not really, but they meet! What will happen now? Will the Backdraft Gang strike back? What will happen when the heroes spring into action? And where's the rest of the Parrs?!** _

* * *

Elsewhere in Sydney, Australia,  **Dash Parr** runs all over a swanky hotel room as he hops on the bed like a jackhammer. On the same bed,  **Bob** **Parr,** aka.  **Mr. Incredible** has his face hugged by little  **Jack-Jack**. Suddenly, the baby hiccups as four clones surround his father. He coos.

"Why did I talk your mother into this early vacation?" Bob groaned.

* * *

_**Umm... tune in NEXT time for Voyd & Voyage: Portal Pals!** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was a fun one, eh? Next chapter will come in soon. Hope y'all enjoy it. Any feedback is greatly appreciated.


	7. Two Steps Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously on Voyd & Voyage: Portal Pals, Voyage and Current learn that Elastigirl is leading the charge against the Backdraft Gang, a notorious group of individuals leaving chaos in their wake. Realizing that the rogue Anomaly, Holden Rudd, is the possible mastermind, the two decide to join forces with Elastigirl being the leader. Meanwhile, Voyd and Voyage begin an unbreakable bond. 
> 
> We also... got Dash and Jack-Jack giving their father problems in the Land Down Under, but that's another story. Now, sit back and relax...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the by, I'm tackling some new things in my quest as a writer. If there's anything that might seem off to y'all, lemme know. 
> 
> Thanks, loves! - Thicket

Another day comes as Holden wakes up, groggy from last night's party with his fellow gang members. Relaxing in a plain but spacious bedroom, he feels a warm space next to him. He turns to find no one there, but a familiar figure enters the room.

"My, my. You seem quite relaxed." Kali chuckled as she wipes her wet hair. "Hope you didn't completely forget about last night.

Covered in a towel, she winks as she giggles. Kali's shamelessness – surprisingly – doesn't catch Holden off guard. Instead, Kali notices Holden staring off into space.

" _Why can't I get you outta my mind?"_ Holden thought.  _"Screw it. You're not worth it, anyway."_

Kali holds onto Holden. "Snap out of it, Holden," she said, "We got big plans today."

Comforting Holden, she guides his face towards hers. Their eyes meet as Kali smiles. "You're not thinking twice about this, aren't you?" she teased.

Holden smiles. "Nah, get ready. I'll freshen up." He gives her a kiss on the cheek.

As Kali smiles, she pats Holden's head as she makes her way to her room. Hearing a small commotion outside, Holden smirks.

"Oh! Sorry, Kali. Didn't see ya there!" Pinky babbled from the outside.

"Just put your googly eyes back in your head, Lynch!" Kali bellowed as Holden hears a faint sound of an impact. Pinky's hilarious yelp causes Holden to laugh.

Once again, Holden smiles as he springs to his feet.  _"I got all I need right here…"_

* * *

**An hour later…**

All dressed in their usual attire of old-school, New York-style suits, the Backdraft Gang gather in the main room. Holden and Kali head down the stairs as Kali speaks up. "Alright, boys and girls! This is it!" Kali exclaimed. "After this score, we'll have what we need to get out of this cesspit of a city."

"No half measures, either," declared Holden as he makes his way to the table. He leans over to gaze at the rest of his accomplices. "We got a plan to get the Supes off our back. If that blows up, well, you know what happens next…"

One of the accomplices smiles this gnarly smile. He speaks with a bit of an annoying chuckle. "We got Cryo-Grenades, Sonic Scramblers, and plenty of ammo, boss. We know the rest."

Crossing his arms behind the gang, Pinky smiles as he nods. "We got the muscle, too. This is who we are. We're ready for this."

Kali makes a sinister smile as she pats Holden's shoulder. "Any time you're ready. We can begin."

Holden smiles as he nods. Taking one look at the mask, he has one final thought ring out in his mind…

" _Goodbye, Gabe. I won't miss you."_

He dons his mask once more as two black wisps of energy emerge from the mask's eyes. Raising his hand towards his room upstairs, a metal gauntlet zooms its way towards Holden's arm. Latching onto it, the gauntlet causes the lights to intensify.

"Let's go steal us a yacht."

* * *

Minutes later, Hannah and Axel are at their new apartment watching T.V. Sitting on two lush, red chairs, Axel smirks at the T.V. The T.V. looks like an old-school television, nothing like the stylish flat-screen monitors he has back home. Axel turns to his friend.

"Han."

"Aye, what is it, Ax?" Hannah said.

"This looks mad old-school. I dig it, but this city looks a bit like ours. Don't ya think they could've given us a better T.V.?"

"What's wrong with it?" Hannah sighed, shaking her head.

Axel pouts. "The screen's all… black and white."

Hannah laughs. "C'mon, Ax! Some of the most classic shows and movies were in black and white. Besides, you've always told me… Well…"

She sits up as she makes her long, curly red hair like Axel's dreads to Axel's amusement. "Han, yuh can' eat and forget." Hannah joked as she imitates Axel's Bajan accent. She does it poorly, of course…

Axel smirks, tossing a grape in his mouth. "Well, monkey see, monkey do." He tosses a grape at Hannah as she tries to eat it in mid-air. As it misses wildly, Hannah pouts as she blushes in shame. Axel laughs before they watch TV again.

Silence.

Suddenly, Axel speaks up. "Besides, Night of the Living Dead's overrated."

Hannah blushes once more in shock. "Alright, mucker, listen here—"

Before she can finish her words, a familiar-looking portal emerges as Voyd steps through. She spots Axel and Hannah being spooked as a look of urgency is on the teal blue-haired woman's face.

"Ooh, Karen! Voyd! Just in time!" Hannah squealed. "Tell him old-school zombie movi—"

No longer showing a lack of confidence with her new friends, Voyd steps towards the two. "No time to talk about movies, guys. Come with me. The Backdraft Gang's back."

Hearing Voyd's words, Hannah and Axel look at each other with a focused look on their faces. Nodding in unison, the two leap to their feet as they step through Voyd's portal.

* * *

Emerging in Dev-Tech's CEO suite once more, Hannah and Axel meet up with Elastigirl, Violet, and Winston Deavor once again. Hannah looks at the three. "What's the story?"

Winston and Violet turn to Elastigirl as she steps forward. "Things are getting chaotic near the Entertainment District. Winston's police scanners said that the Backdraft Gang are near the New Urbem Museum of History and the Arts."

With his arms behind his back, a rather troubled Winston paces back and forth. "The NUM is a classic monument, dedicated to preserving art! History! It's the founding father of innovation. We can't let it be tainted."

Violet walks over to Hannah. "Besides, it's special to me. I… I had my first kiss there." She blushes under her mask.

"Aww!" Hannah giggled as she kneels. She gives Violet a teasing little elbow. "Who's the lucky lad? Huh, I won't tell."

As Violet lets out a sheepish laugh, Elastigirl clears her throat. "That's beside the point. But if you must know, it was with a fantastic young man."

"Mooooooooom!" cried Violet as her blushing intensifies.

Axel steps forward as he smiles towards Violet. Still embarrassed, Violet lets out a soft smile before pouting. "Regardless of Violet's love life, we can't let those guys hurt others. One hand can't clap, so it's time we take the fight to 'em."

Elastigirl nods. "Agreed. The sooner, the better. Let's go!"

As the group make their way to Winston's black van, Voyd suddenly spots Hannah – now dressed as Voyage – walking beside her. The two turn to each other as they smile. "So, Voyd," Voyage whispered, "What's it like out there? Being a superhero here?"

Voyd has a bit of a curious look on her face. "What do you mean?"

"Heard on the T.V. that this city is full of crime. You must be busy."

Voyd nods. "There's always something… new every day," she said with a chuckle. "There are other Supers too. But with all of us being legal again, they've been all over the world lately. Elastigirl wanted me to help her here in New Urbem." The shy and eager hero smiles. "Been here ever since."

Voyage looks confused as the group approaches the van. "Legal? Heh, what? You guys were illegal for saving lives?" She suddenly sees Elastigirl and Violet turn to her. With a bit of a glare on their faces, Voyage's eyes widen. "Really?" She said to Voyd.

A bit nervous, Voyd rubs her hands together. "It was a rough time. I… I didn't… feel like me at all." Getting inside the van, Voyd slouches before turning to her new friend. "Hannah. Did you ever feel like… you wanted to be a superhero?"

Voyage's face changes as she looks down in quiet contemplation. Looking at Axel - now morphed into Current - as he frowns towards her, she slowly nods while turning to Voyd. Making their way towards the museum, Voyage rubs her hands together. For the first time in a while, she was nervous.

"I'll be honest, Karen. No. It was hard at first. I… didn't have the greatest experience when I got my powers. I… got ambushed by wannabe gangsters. They jumped me, beat me within an inch of me bleedin' life. I was lucky I survived."

Voyage sees Voyd's hand on her shoulder, comforting her. She looks up to see the shy hero smile at her. Voyage lovingly taps Voyd's hand. "Thanks, Karen. It's okay, though. Thanks to Ax and my other mates, I realized that if no one stepped up to crime in our city, we'd be screwed." She turns to Current.

Current slowly nods, his face frowning a bit as well. Surprisingly, he sees Violet comforting him by giving him a friendly tap on his arm. Without words, the two smile at each other as Current gives her a friendly nudge. Elastigirl looks on, a broad smile on her face. Suddenly, the van stops near the museum.

"Oh, boy…" Winston said. "Um, I think they spotted us."

Seeing Winston point to the museum, the group sees some of the Backdraft Gang lurk outside. Well-armed and observant, the gang members spot the speeding van in their direction. They quickly make a break for it inside the museum.

"Well, I guess it's showtime," Elastigirl said. "It'll be better if we split up. That way, those guys won't get the drop on us."

Current takes some initiative. "Voyage and I can scout the museum. Look for any surprises those goatheads might have." Elastigirl nods.

"Once you guys find a safe point, let us know through your communicators. Voyd and Violet will team up with me. We'll take the fight to these guys head-on. Voyd will create a diversion to catch them off guard. Understood?"

The rest of the heroes nod as they begin to leave. From out of the blue, however, Winston stops them all from leaving as he raises his hand out. His eyes widen as he hears commotion over his headset. Quickly scanning the comms, he turns to the heroes with a look of terror.

"There's a scene near New Urbem Bay. Police said the Backdraft Gang are there, looking to hijack… Carpe Diem." The heroes look confused as Violet leans in closer.

"What's Carpe Diem? Isn't that just a Latin phrase?" The young teen said.

Winston leans back in his seat. "More than that, my dear. It's a state-of-the-art yacht. It's smaller than the Everjust, but it comes equipped with cutting-edge technology. Some of it from DevTech."

Slightly irritated, Elastigirl looks at the museum. "Is that it, Winston?"

Winston shakes his head while he turns to Voyage and Current. "No. I'm afraid there's more. They spotted a Super with them. He had a metal gauntlet while he tore a path to the ship. There are many injured people there."

Shocked, Voyage rubs her face. "Are there any deaths?"

Frightened beyond belief, Winston sulks in his seat. "I don't know. There are… people missing during the chaos, but things aren't looking so good."

"It's a diversion!" Elastigirl bellowed as she quickly emerges out of the van. "Alright, new plan. Vi, you're with me. We got to settle this quickly. Current and Voyage, Voyd and Winston will help you two get to the Bay."

"Yes, ma'am." Current said as he turns to his friend.

"We'll stop them. Good luck." Voyage waits for Voyd inside the van.

Stepping out of the van, Voyd and the Parrs make their way to the museum. Nervous, Voyd lingers near her mentor. "Umm, Elastigirl. Will you be okay?"

The older superheroine smiles. "We'll be fine. You need to help those two out with some damage control. Help any injured. Once you're aboard the yacht, handle any threats. And hey, keep your head on a swivel. Understood?" Hearing her mentor's words of encouragement, Voyd nods.

"Alright," she said, "I'll do my best."

Elastigirl smiles, giving a pat on Voyd's shoulder. "You got this." With a large smile on her face, Voyd nods as she makes her way to the van. Elastigirl then turns to Violet. "You ready?"

Violet nods. "Let's kick some ass." She covers her mouth to see her mother give her a smirk and a good old eyebrow raise.

Elastigirl gives her daughter a quick peck on the forehead. "That's my girl. Don't worry, I won't tell your father," she exclaimed. "Let's go!"

* * *

As they see the van drive off, Elastigirl stretches herself into a ball. Wrapping her entire body around her daughter, she gathers enough momentum to charge towards the doors of the museum. Powered by one of her daughter's force-fields, the Parrs barrel through the doors. They unexpectedly catch four other members of the Backdraft Gang by surprise.

However, before they get toppled to the ground, one of those members motions to the rest inside the museum's entrance hall. "Pinky! NOW! Ugggh!"

Stretching back to her normal body, Elastigirl motions for Violet to stay put.  _"Mom. I think this might be a trap."_  Violet whispered.

Listening to the eerie silence, Elastigirl nods.  _"Stay alert. You never know—There!"_  She points to the lanky man of the Gang as he emerges from behind a platform holding up a statue. He chuckles before firing a gun powered by sonic energy. Violet instinctively creates a force-field around her and her mother.

The lanky man smiles. "The trap's set! Let it rip, boys!" Violet summons a smaller circle of force-field energy inside the protective bubble. Rocketing towards the man, it topples him over. Not long after that, the Parrs hear a high-pitched, whining sound. Multiple high-pitched whining sounds.

"Mom! Hunker down!" urged Violet as she shrinks the barrier around them, making it stronger. The Parr women see shuriken-like mines from multiple corners heading in their direction. Unsure of what they are, Violet creates force-fields around all of them.

However, they bounce up as they emit a deafening wave of sound that stuns the Parrs. Violet grimaces in pain as the barrier fades away. "Violet!" Elastigirl screamed as she doubles in size, getting a good view of the makeshift war zone.

Almost in unison, the remaining B.D. Gang members fire a barrage of grenades that explode with a layer of frost and ice covering the museum's hall. Elastigirl sees her daughter partially covered in ice as her powers start failing too.

In agonizing pain from her weakness to ice, Elastigirl tries to reach for her communicator. "Vo… Voyd? Voyage? Cu… Any… Anyone?" She sees her daughter get knocked out cold before she looks up to see Pinky towering over her.

Pinky has a big smirk on his face. "Supers don't rule this city anymore, lady." He steps on Elastigirl's hand as she screams in pain. "We do."

With a right cross, Pinky knocks the superheroine out with one punch. The big man suddenly shivers. "Ooh, it's frickin' cold. Alright, boys and girls! Round up the rest and bring up the boss and Kal on the phone."

He looks at the two unconscious heroes on the ground. A sinister smile curls along Pinky's face. "Tell them we got a couple of presents waitin' for 'em."

"Hello? Elastigirl?! Hello!" Winston stammered as he turns to the three other heroes as they make their way to the New Urbem Bay. Voyage and Current turn to Voyd in shock. A look of absolute terror is etched on Voyd's face as she holds onto Voyage's hands. Voyd looks up at her new friend with a couple of tears running down her face.

"They… they took them. They… have them now," mumbled Voyd, her head leaning on Voyage's shoulder. As she consoles the distraught hero, Voyage turns to Current. A look of anger and tenacity washes over their faces. Suddenly, Voyage looks off into the distance. It's as if she feels something strange.

"What's wrong?" Current said.

"I… I can't… The link…" Voyage muttered. Current's eyes widen.

"The link is starting to fade away."

* * *

**_Oh, no! To quote an Internet-defending Guardian, this is bad. This is VERY bad. What will happen to Elastigirl and Violet? What will happen to Voyd and Winston? What will happen to Voyage and Current? Will they return home? Tune in next time to Voyd & Voyage: Portal Pals!_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Notes: That was a lot. Pizza, ice-cold water and Riverdale helped me through this. Ohhh, Riverdale. Riverdale, Riverdale, Riverdale. You are a train wreck and I love you for it. Anyways, next chapter will come soon. All feedback will be welcomed.


	8. They Come Together, Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously on Voyd & Voyage: Portal Pals, the group races across the city to stop the Backdraft Gang once and for all. As the crafty gang creates a diversion to separate them, Elastigirl and Violet head to the New Urbem Museum while the rest head to the docks in New Urbem Bay. Unfortunately, the Parrs were overwhelmed by the gang's high-tech weaponry and they were captured in the fight. To make matters worse, Voyage starts to lose the symbiotic link she has with Gabe. What will happen to our heroes?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Expect the action and language to really ramp up from this point forward. The mature themes I told you about?
> 
> Expect most of it in the next chapter.

Back in the Gimmicks' headquarters, Moon stares at an unconscious Gabe. Still holding the scrunchie Hannah gave him in his hand, he looks exhausted but alive. Megann zips closer to Gabe as she hovers over him. With a sad face on her LED screen, the AI companion zips to Moon.

"Moon, I'm worried about our new friend!" She moaned. "Will he be okay?"

Staring intently at the young man, Moon shakes her head. Tired but dedicated to honouring Gabe's promise, she rubs her eyes. "I don't know. They've been gone for too long…"

Confused, Megann now sports a question mark on her screen. "It's been only eight hours, 33 minutes, and 55 seconds. Oops. 56. 57. 58…"

Moon looks at her high-tech computer and views the short video message Hannah sent to her. "We've tried everything. We checked his vitals, I viewed his heart rate with my powers. I've tried everything I could do to wake him up, but it's not working."

Megann zips in front of the distraught hero's face. "Plus, I gave him a couple of non-lethal jolts of electricity when you weren't looking." Moon glares at the AI with her eyebrows raised. "I'm sorry! I was just—"

"Trying to help, I know." Moon smiles at Megann before patting her on the head. "Thanks, Megann."

"Aww, Moonie…" Megann tries to hug her ally, but Moon walks towards Gabe.

"We'll hug later. Right now, we need to bring them back. I have a bad feeling about this mission. It just seems too…"

Suddenly, the two spot a tear running down Gabe's face. Megann hovers closer to him. "Umm, did ya see th—?" They immediately see Gabe's body jolt as Moon sees a weird wound just below his clavicle.

A frightened Megann inspects the wound. "Moon, this wound is fresh! It almost seems like a…" The colour from Moon's face almost seems to drain as her eyes widen.

"Seems? Megann… That's a gunshot wound."

* * *

_**Hours (or maybe days) earlier…** _

Back in New Urbem, Voyage turns to Current and Voyd as she holds the sides of her head. Trying to hold on to the symbiotic link, her eyes seem to dart in many directions. She silently mumbles things under her breath. "The… the link. Gabe? Who…?"

Current places his hand on her shoulder. "What's wrong? Voyage? …Hann...?"

Seconds later, Current starts to stumble and stagger as he looks the same as his worried friend. To Voyd, she sees the two young heroes struggle. To her, it's almost as if their memories were ripped from their very minds.

"Guys? Umm, guys?! Winston, what's wrong?"

"I'm afraid we have more issues to deal with, my dear!" Winston suddenly stops the van as they arrive at New Urbem Bay. Stopping near the docks, Voyd and Winston see nothing but commotion and chaos all over the city. People are screaming as they see compacted cars and police cruisers. Streetlights are toppled, windows from buildings are decimated and pockets of asphalt are missing from the roads.

Voyd covers her mouth. "Oh, no…"

"Voyd! No time to waste! Wake those two up and save this city!"

"Winston, what abo—?"

Voyd opens the doors to the van, bringing Voyage and Current with her. Winston changes into his disguise as fast as he can. "Don't worry about Elastigirl and Violet. I'll try to maintain contact with them. It's all up to you now."

Voyd stares off into the distance. Months after the wrath of the Screenslaver, her mind is filled with doubt.  _"Me?"_ She thought.  _"But… But how?"_

Emerging out of the van, Voyd shakes Hannah vigorously. "Hannah, listen to me," Voyd said, her voice trembling. "You need to snap out of it! This city needs us!"

Sensing the urgency of her new friend's words, Voyage slowly snaps out of her funk. "Ka… No, Voyd… I'm fine. I'm fine."

Voyd smiles before turning to Current. "Current?"

Current seems to have a moment of clarity as his eyes glow bright white. Surging with electricity, the ladies witness as his body vibrates. After it stops, he breathes heavily and takes a step back. "It's all good, guys! See?"

Voyd's eyes almost pop out of her mask. "What was that?!" She yelled.

"I gave my brain extra juice. It's a bit of a trick I picked up. My link to Gabe's still strong, so everything's irie with me." He grins before giving a thumbs-up.

Voyage smiles. "That's pretty deadly, ma… Wait, look!"

She points up to see six cars descend from the sky. Some cars are filled with people screaming and begging for their lives. Voyd covers her mouth. "Oh, my goodness..." No longer able to stand by and watch, the timid hero strengthens her resolve, springing into action.

Voyd raises two hands to summon a pair of portals below two cars. Summoning another pair, Voyd gently sets the cars on a safe part of the road. "Voyage, help that family out!" She motions to a sedan high in the sky. Ready to back up her friend, Voyage immediately starts running as she leaps in the air.

Summoning a portal, Voyage appears falling beside the sedan. She spots the family inside as she sees a familiar young girl crying her eyes out. Staring out through the window, the girl from the hotel gasps as their eyes meet. The daring hero smiles before creating a portal in mid-air. Voyage places the car on a roof through another portal. In mid-air, Voyage creates a portal to head back to her friends, rolling in the process.

Voyage looks up to Current as she spots three more cars close to impact. "Current, three more cars, 11 o'clock!"

Nodding, Current dematerializes into electricity once more before surging towards the cars. He circles an area, electrifying the very ground beneath the falling cars. Zipping to an open space before materializing, Current raises both arms out as two cars slowly hover in the air before placing them on the ground.

"That was cuttin' it close!" Current sighed. "Jah, I amaze myself."

Suddenly, he looks up to see the last car – a minivan – falling directly above his head. Current screams, closing his eyes. Suddenly, a large shadow towers over him. He opens his eyes and looks up to see a towering, unbelievably strong woman holding the van with her bare hands.

Her huge muscles are as strong as her smile as stares at Current, laughing. "Little man almost pooped." Current pouts as Voyd tries to stifle a giggle from far away.

They all spot Winston – in his surfer-dude disguise – running towards the group.

"Ooh, forgot to mention something. Called in a favour. Whew!" Winston doubles over, panting heavily. "The rest of the other Supers are busy, but I found Brick and she's willing to help. We'll take care of the city, don't worry. Get those criminals!"  **Connie Mason,** aka.  **Brick** grins at the tiny man below her as she bows her head. Current smiles wide, hiding his utter fear.

Voyd, along with Voyage and Current, notices a decently-sized yacht drifting away from the docks. Hitting many boats, it starts to pick up steam. Voyd urges the two. "That's Carpe Diem, guys! Let's go!"

Before the three can act, they spot a large car stopping near the harbour.

"Look!" Voyd points to Pinky carrying the unconscious Elastigirl and Violet as he runs to the edge of the docks. His partners follow with priceless paintings in their possession. Before Voyage and Current can act, all three heroes get pinned to the ground. It feels like a tremendous weight was placed on their backs.

"Ugh! I can't move!" Voyage murmured.

"Statin' the obvious, huh, kid?" Emerging from an alley, the heroes spot a very smug Kali locking arms with a masked Holden as his gauntlet-equipped arm glows with a black aura. Kali smiles in a condescending manner.

"I just made you guys feel so much fatter!" The rogue Anomaly laughs as the aura emanates from his eyes. He turns to Kali. "Thanks for the diversion with the cars, babe."

The sly woman curls her lips into a sinister, seductive smirk. "I just had the idea. You came up with the rest. It's a team effort, after all."

Voyd struggles to raise her head. "You're the…"

"Anomaly, yeah. You may call me… Gravitas." Holden bows. "Has a certain weight to it, eh?" He laughs and laughs as for the first time ever, Voyd has a look of seething hatred on her face. Now embracing his criminal leader mentality,  **Gravitas**  strolls around Voyage and Current.

"Huh, he sent the Gimmicks after me. Aww, I'm touched," he said as he scoffs under the mask.

Kali chuckles. "Lame gimmicks, I'll say," she sneered.

Voyage grits her teeth. "Don't do this. It's not too late." Gravitas snarls at her, shaking his head.

Current sees the chaos of the city around him. He sees Winston and Brick racing to help panicked civilians. Current grimaces to spot his portal-weaving friends pinned to the ground. Violet struggles to open her eyes as she sees Current. Too weak to intervene, she looks damn near terrified. An unconscious Elastigirl – her courageous, selfless mother – is still dangling right beside her.

Current sighs.  _"They're willing to take a chance on us. On me. I can't let it go down like this,"_ he thought.  _"Well, guess Grandma's always right. 'Dead man can't run from he coffin, child.' Sorry, Gabe. I tried, brotha..."_

Current smiles before he turns to Voyage. She turns as their eyes meet. A twinkle appears in Current's eyes as he smiles at his best friend. He turns to Voyd with a smile. She looks on in terror, fully aware of what he's about to do. He quickly dematerializes and materializes before lunging at Gravitas.

" _Axel…"_ Voyd closes her eyes.

"AXEEEEEEEEEEEL!" Voyage cries out toward her friend before a loud gunshot rings out. She sees Current fall to the ground. A gunshot wound appears on his upper chest as Kali brandishes a revolver. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"Oh, shut up, kid!" Kali turns Current's unconscious body over. He's wounded, but alive. "I only shoot to kill if I need to. Consider this a warning shot."

Gravitas stares at Axel – now de-morphed – before turning to Voyage. Dropping his hold on her, Voyage rushes to console her friend.

"Let's go." Gravitas channels his powers through the gauntlet, altering the gravity of him and his cohorts. One by one, they drift into the sky as they follow the yacht. Dropping his guise, Holden stares at Voyage. They lock eyes as he takes off his mask. His green eyes seem to pierce into her very soul as tears flow from her face.

"It was, you know. It was too late. See those 'criminals' over there?" Holden points to the gang. "They treat me better than anyone, even him. She… Kali treats me better than him. Wasn't my call to make, but you kinda forced our hand."

Tears well up in Voyd's eyes as she stares daggers into the rogue Anomaly's eyes. "You're a monster."

Surprisingly, Holden visibly reacts as he lowers his head. After he nods, he leans in close as he whispers to Voyage.  _"Take your friend and go back home. Don't do it for me. Do it for him… and for you. Tell Gabe I'm dead and leave me alone. Please."_

Putting the mask back on, Holden – as Gravitas – levitates towards the yacht. "If I see you again… We'll kill you and your friends. Then I'll level this whole city into the dirt. Don't make me do that." Gravitas leaves.

No longer under Gravitas' control, Voyd leaps to her feet and rushes over to a grieving Hannah – now de-morphed, as well. Hannah wipes the tears hitting Axel's face as she kisses his forehead. Hannah turns to Voyd as the tears keep flowing. Hurting for her friend, Voyd consoles her by giving both of her new friends a hug. Her voice trembles as her tears start to flow. "I am so sorry…"

Winston and Brick rush over to see Axel lying on the ground. As he sees the wound, Winston gasps in terror, recalling an all-too-familiar event in his mind. Brick towers over Axel, saddened by her new, little friend not smiling anymore. "What happen now?"

Seething with rage, Hannah sees Carpe Diem drift away from the city.

* * *

Back in the headquarters at New Toronto, Moon and Megann hear warning sounds on the multi-screen computer. Moon frantically moves screens to check the vital signs of her team members. She sees Axel's vital signs beginning to decline as a look of dread washes over her face.

"This can't be…" Moon uttered in Korean.

A sad face is shown through Megann's LED screen as she slowly whizzes to Moon. "What's… what's wrong with Ax-Man, Moo… Moonie?"

Tears fall on the chromatic keyboard as Moon turns to her AI friend. "I might not know if we can save him, Megann."

**(To be continued)**

* * *

_**Tune in next time for Voyd & Voyage: Portal Pals...** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Notes: I recently caught up with Season 4 of the Flash and I'm inspired to really get into writing some sweet action scenes. You'll find out in the next two chapters: They Come Together, Part 2 and The Portal Pals Strike Back. Bless you and your creative mind, DeVoe. 
> 
> As always, feedback is appreciated.   
> \- Thicket


	9. They Come Together, Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously on Voyd & Voyage: Portal Pals, the three young heroes arrive in Downtown New Urbem to stop the Backdraft Gang from stealing Carpe Diem, DevTech's new yacht. After saving some panicked civilians from falling to their deaths, Voyd, Voyage, and Current were immobilized due to a trap sprung by Kali and Holden. Now calling himself Gravitas, he watched Kali shoot Current to his friends' anguish. Hovering over her badly wounded friend, Voyage - now as Hannah - tries to save Axel before it's too late...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will contain scenes of action and coarse language. Also, an MxM relationship will be fleshed out in this chapter. You can probably guess who's the couple, but if it isn't your preference, well... 
> 
> Consider this your warning.

"CAN SOMEBODY HELP US?!"

The urgency of Hannah's shrieks echoes through the main floor of the New Urbem General Hospital. The main floor is quite packed as doctors and nurses scramble to help the injured during the B.D. Gang's attack on the city.

They all stop and witness a frightening sight as Hannah and Voyd carries an unconscious Axel through its doors. The bleeding is starting to pour, but he's holding on. Barely.

With Winston waiting nervously behind them, the hospital staff notices the situation as a team of nurses rush over to place the injured hero on a stretcher.

Voyd spots the rest of the injured civilians from the fallout of the attack. Since being a Super, an attack such as this was rare but terrifying. To Voyd… to Karen, it seems that the Backdraft Gang literally tore a path to get to the Docks. No matter what – or whom – got in their way.

" _This is terrible. All… all of these people,"_ she thought.

The Super suddenly spots the blood on Hannah's clothes as a doctor tries to calm her down. The experienced doctor is middle-aged with the face and composure of someone that has experienced days like this for far too long.

"Ma'am, we'll take it from here," the doctor said with a reassuring tone. "Your friend will be taken into an emergency room where he will receive proper care. We will do all we can to help him."

To Hannah, the world's gone dark. Silent. In her mind, these events almost happen in slow-motion. The doctor's words are muffled and unclear as she stares at her unconscious friend being whisked away.

As they take Axel into an emergency room, Hannah looks weak. Sweat and tears run down her face as she coughs.

Voyd rushes over to console her friend. "Hannah!"

She turns to the doctor. "It's okay. I'll take it from here."

The doctor nods as he leaves, but not before he motions to a nearby clerk to help Hannah out. Sensing the young woman's anguish, the clerk waits as she looks at a worried Winston. Winston steps forward and places a hand on Hannah's shoulder.

"It's not your fault, my dear," Winston said, trying to stop himself from crying.

Hannah's face is buried in her hands as her curly, long hair hides her guilt from everyone at the hospital. She starts to cry as Winston turns to Voyd. Silent, Voyd appreciates his help by placing her hand on his shoulder as she smiles.

"It's okay. Umm, I got this," she whispered. "Right now, those people need you. Help Brick out, okay? Do it for them."

Winston ponders for a bit before he nods towards the kind Super. He turns to the clerk.

"DevTech will cover all of that young man's hospital bills. Just…"

The clerk, a young woman with a gentle disposition, politely interrupts him.

"Our doctors will do everything they can," the nurse said in a soothing, soft voice. "You can place your trust in them."

Hanging on to the clerk's words, Winston nods and smiles before making his way to assist Brick downtown. He shares a quick look with Voyd as she smiles in appreciation for his help. For now, the young Super's attention is focused towards Hannah.

"Hannah? Let's find a quiet place, okay? We gotta talk…"

Too weak to argue, Hannah yields as she slowly gets up. Voyd rubs her friend's shoulders as they retreat into a quieter place inside the hospital.

The ocean's waters are calm and pleasant as the B.D. Gang celebrates aboard Carpe Diem, DevTech's high-tech yacht. As the partying hits a fever pitch on the main deck, Kali sees Holden on the upper deck. Sensing her boyfriend might need some time for himself, she smiles as she waits for him.

Holden looks at the sun beginning to set. The sight is awesome, but that's not on his mind. Looking at his mask, a dwindling memory of Gabe starts to fill his mind like the waves of the ocean…

* * *

_**(Months earlier, in New Toronto)** _

_On a quiet, uneventful night, Holden tosses and turns in his bed as he stares at his laptop. In his dorm room, posters of old-school gangster films are plastered on the walls. Goodfellas. The Godfather II. The Departed. These movies, along with others, have entertained Holden through dark times in his life. To him, they're valuable._

_However, tonight is special. The only thing on his mind is to make the one person he truly cares for extremely happy: Gabriel Ruiz._

_Eagerly waiting to see Gabe's face, Holden gets comfortable. A minute later, he gets his wish as Gabe appears. Tired but happy to see Holden, Gabe has a warm smile on his face._

_Holden waves as he smiles, blowing a kiss. "Hey, Sleepyhead."_

_Gabe smiles and chuckles. "You're, like, way too excited tonight. But I kinda like it."_

_"Like it? Please. You love it."_

_Gabe shakes his head as they laugh._

_"Hey, I got a surprise for you," Holden said. "Check this shit out…"_

_Confused, Gabe waits patiently as Holden takes out a strange, metal gauntlet. Jet-black with brown stripes, it's sleek but large. It has a fancy-looking interface built inside that shows Holden's heart-rate, his blood pressure, and other weird things Holden can't be bothered with._

_"Where did you get that?" Gabe looks at the gauntlet. To him, it looks quite familiar._

_Holden looks around the room and outside to prevent anyone from hearing him. "I stole it," he whispered._

_Gabe's eyes widen. He knew it! "That's ImAge's Stim-Booster! I thought that wasn't coming out 'til the next couple of years."_

_"Yeah. Helps people heal themselves or get stronger after serious injuries. I don't know, somethin' like that. But, c'mon, look at it! Sweet, right?" Holden shows off the Stim-Booster to Gabe's disdain._

_"No, it isn't! What are you doing, man? You think I want to talk to you through a glass wall? I don't wanna see your little chubby face in an ugly-ass jumpsuit."_

_Holden hides the Stim-Booster Gauntlet from wandering eyes. "Well, you don't have to. Someone else stole it, but she's one of those rogue Anomaly bums. And my face ain't chubby."_

_Gabe smirks. "It kinda is."_

_Holden pouts a bit, obviously taken aback by Gabe's concern. "C'mon, don't give me that. Nobody knows it's gone, not even the Gimmicks or whatever they're called. They were too busy focused on that idiot. She's in jail and I'm not. Besides, I stole it using my powers. They don't know a thing."_

_Gabe looks away from the laptop in shock. Holden leans in. "Gabe?"_

_Gabe frowns at Holden. "Don't… See, look, you even got that look in your eye."_

_Holden stares into Gabe's eyes. "We can get away. Just the two of us. We can be done with school and these heroes and villains, all that shit. You can use your powers and just…"_

_He imitates an explosion with his hands._

_"…do your thing and that's that."_

_"That's that?" Gabe said in disbelief._

_"Yeah!"_

_"Holden, life's not that easy. What do we do if I shift us somewhere else? I mean, I got a good thing going here. Besides, I… I don't think my power works that way."_

_"C'mon, we practiced multiple times. And, hey, I can always sell the gauntlet. We can be rich! Think about it…"_

_Gabe frowns as he looks away. Holden tries to get his attention. "Gabe, don't be such a-"_

_Gabe holds his hand out. "It's just not worth the risk."_

_"Not even for me? Or yourself? Don't you wanna be free? Don't you want us to be happy?" Silence._

_"We'll talk tomorrow," Gabe uttered. "I… I just need some time to think about it."_

_"Why not talk now?"_

_Gabe stares into Holden's eyes._

_"It's fine. I'm just worried about you. Good night. Get some rest, okay? Love you…"_

_Gabe disconnects from the video call as Holden is alone in his room. Staring at the hidden gauntlet, he buries his head in his blanket._

* * *

Back on the yacht, Kali wakes Holden up from his funk. "Hey! Are you coming or what? The rest of the gang's waiting for you down below."

Holden turns to Kali as he smiles. Kali notices the gloomy look on his face.

"Don't tell me you had second thoughts back there."

"No, Kali. It's just…"

Kali places her hand on his shoulder. "Listen, sweetie," she said, slightly buzzed from the alcohol. "We gotta do what we gotta do to be free. It's like you said. You're the captain!"

Holden nervously bites his lip. "Was it a bit much?"

"Oh, don't wuss out on us now. We're in the clear. Once we hit international waters, we can dump those Incredible chumps down the drain. We'll be free, at last."

Kali holds on to her lover's chubby face. "And I want you to be happy, okay?"

They nod as they kiss. "C'mon, Kali. Let's pay our 'superfriends' a visit first," Holden ordered, putting on the mask. "Captain's orders."

Kali has a bit of a seductive smirk on her face. "Ooh, bossy. Well… Aye, aye, Cap'n."

She laughs as they disappear into the yacht to see the Parrs in the lower deck.

* * *

In a quiet room, Voyd takes a deep breath as she hands Hannah some tea.

"It's Earl Grey. Helped me when I was feeling down," Voyd said as she tries to make Hannah smile. Staring at the cup of tea, Hannah wipes the tears from her face.

Still miserable about what happened to Axel, there's an eerie stillness about her composure. Her optimism and her cheerful charisma are all but gone.

Voyd takes her mask off as she sits on the opposite side. If she was going to get through to Hannah, it was going to be as Karen. " _I gotta believe in myself."_

"Hannah? Are you o…"

"I feel the link's starting to fade." Hannah breaks her silence with a sentence that chills Karen to the bone. "I'm… I'm… I'm trying to hold on, but I don't know if I can. I don't know if I want to."

Karen nervously wrings her hands as her mind races.  _"What can I do?"_  She thought.  _"I… I need to get through to her. I don't wanna see anyone suffer anymore. I made a promise and Hannah's my friend now…"_

"I don't know if I can save anyone. Axel, Violet, or even Elastigirl," Hannah whimpered. "I don't want them to die, but I'm… I'm too weak to even save my best friend."

She looks up at her friend, realizing that the mask is off. Hannah stares into Karen's turquoise eyes as the latter places it on the table.

Silence.

"I don't have all the answers, but I guess I'll help," Karen sighed. "I wanna tell you something. Growing up, all I wanted was to be a Super. I wanted people to believe in me and my powers, even if I… didn't believe in myself."

Karen pauses as her hands ball up into fists. "Living in Seattle with my secret was a nightmare for me. I couldn't make new friends, even if I tried. I was alone."

Karen stares at her mask.

"In case you couldn't tell, I… I wasn't always the best at being myself. I was nervous and shy, unwilling to unwind. I… didn't like me at all. But thanks to Elastigirl, I started to be hopeful. Thanks to Supers like Violet and Brick, I became a real hero. I just…"

Karen's eyes seem to twinkle as she stares at Hannah. "You're so lively and optimistic. You and Axel… You guys liked me. The real me. Not just Voyd, but as Karen. You don't know how much that means to me. So… Please, let me help y…"

Hannah scoffs. Karen is slightly taken aback by her friend's response.

"Optimistic? I guess. But it wasn't easy at first, you know."

Karen holds on to her cup of Earl Grey tea as the steam starts to rise.

"What happened? You can tell me," Karen said with a nervous smile. "It'll be our little secret."

Hannah finally moves her hair from her face. Her cheeks are stained with dry tears.

"I was friendly, but I was naive. Growing up, I always tried to see the good in everyone. I mean… I was a nobody from a farm in Northern Ireland. I used to have the social skills of a shy kitten. Bet you didn't know that, eh?"

Karen lets out a soft chuckle. Still smiling, she is attentive as she hangs on to Hannah's words. "All I know is what happened to you before you got your powers."

Hannah takes a sip of her tea. "Aye, my optimism almost got me beaten to death. On that day, I unlocked a side of myself I've always kept hidden for years."

"What side?"

Hannah takes another sip from her cup and sighs. As she sets it on the table, Hannah sees Karen's hands over hers. With a warm smile, the Super nods.

"It's okay," Karen said. "Take your time."

" _For someone so shy_ ," Hannah thought,  _"she's taking a chance on me."_

She starts to speak up as Karen patiently waits.

"In high school, I was relentlessly bullied. My hair, my freckled face, my clothes. I stood out and people ripped me apart for it. I was just a wee kid. I thought if I can be friendlier, my luck would change. It didn't."

"My goodness, I'm so sorry," Karen said as she frowns. "How bad was it?"

Hannah looks deep into Karen's eyes. "Our secret, right?"

Karen slowly nods.

"I hated myself. I was angry at everyone. I was a proper shite back then, always wanting to lash out. but my Ma and my Da… they always cared. Even when I was at my lowest, they cared. They helped me change."

Karen smiles as she leans in. "Whether you knew it or not, Hannah, there was always someone who cared about you. Someone that believed in you."

"I wanted… I still want to be an inspiration just like Elastigirl. For Axel and Moon – you don't know her, but she's a blast – and anyone with powers that feel lost in their lives, I want to reach out to them. I want to help them cope."

"You wanna guide them, right?" Karen chuckles. "On their own personal…"

"Voyage." The two girls say the word in unison as they exchange a soft chuckle.

"That name means a lot to you, doesn't it?" Karen said as Hannah's words resonate with her soul.

Hannah smiles. It's not her usual smile, but it's a smile that's as sincere as one could make in a stressful time. The two women look through the windows of their room, viewing the staff tending to the patients. Karen moves her chair as she sits beside Hannah.

Karen gets in close beside Hannah, making sure to whisper her words. "I'll make you a deal, okay?"

Hannah looks confused. "What deal?"

"I won't give up on you if you won't give up on me, okay?" Karen said with a teasing smile. "You can teach me to be, like, super bubbly. I might even teach you some of my tricks."

Dumbfounded, Hannah scoffs as she smiles. "Tricks?!"

"Uh-huh. Hey, the Portal Pals need to stick together." Karen winks as she stands up, putting on her mask.

Hannah stands up as her mood lightens up a little bit. "Really?"

She stands up as she hugs her taller friend. They share a moment of sincere friendship as a recharged Voyd has a fiery look in her eyes.

"First, we need to stop Gravitas and the Backdraft Gang, once and for all," Voyd said, her voice now full of spirit. "We take him down and you guys can bring him back to your world. We can do this. For Axel."

" _For Axel_ ," Hannah thought. Voyd's words of encouragement spur Hannah forward. Wiping the last tear from her face in dramatic fashion, she nods.

"And for the people of New Urbem."

Voyd and Hannah spot Winston returning. Opening the door, they see him looking around for them. Winston spots them as he rushes in the room and closes the door.

"Ladies! Ladies! I found the schematics for Carpe Diem. We can break in!"

Voyd turns to Hannah. "So, what do ya say? Is it time for the Portal Pals to strike back?" She sticks her fist out.

The fire in Hannah's eyes is unlike anything she's ever felt before. Using the wall as cover, she activates her watch's command. "First? Let's switch it up…"

Through the aura of light, a determined Voyage puts a fist out. "Ready if you are."

For the first time ever as the Portal Pals, Voyd and Voyage fist-bump as they head to Winston's van.

* * *

Back on Carpe Diem, Holden – now as Gravitas – makes his way to the lower docks with Kali. They begin to head to the crew quarters when they hear a commotion nearby. Running to see the source of the commotion, Gravitas finds the guarded rooms of Elastigirl and Violet Parr riddled with their knocked-out allies.

The Parrs are nowhere to be seen.

"Find them!" Gravitas yelled.

* * *

_**Where are Elastigirl and Violet? Did the Portal Pals save them? Or is the truth much more... incredible? Find out next time on an action-packed chapter of Voyd & Voyage: Portal Pals!** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Notes: That was perhaps the hardest chapter I've had to write. But I hope it was worth it for y'all because it's gonna get intense next chapter. Next chapter will be the appropriately-titled The Portal Pals Strike Back. You'll see Voyd and Voyage use their powers together in creative ways. And you may even see the Incredible ladies do their thing. It'll take a while, but I hope you guys will see it'll be worth it. And hey, I love you.
> 
> Just like Voyd and Voyage, you're never alone, you know? :)
> 
> Later days. - Thicket


	10. The Portal Pals Strike Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously on Voyd & Voyage: Portal Pals, Axel and Gabe's lives hang in the balance as Voyage and Voyd race to save Axel. With Winston and an eager Brick coming in to rescue the civilians of New Urbem, Voyd and Voyage share a private moment. They discover quite a bit about each other, including Hannah's dark side. Finally uniting as the Portal Pals, the two women make their way to Winston's van for a counter-offensive. Meanwhile, Gravitas and the Backdraft Gang discovers Violet and Elastigirl somehow escaped...

The Backdraft Gang combs through the entire yacht, armed with their stolen weaponry. Despite their unified efforts, the women of the Incredibles are nowhere to be seen.

Down in the engine room on the lower dock, one of the members spots a commotion. Slightly chubby with bloodshot eyes, the gang member's equipped with a Sonic Scrambler and ready to engage. After he hears a clanging sound to his left, he whips around with a nasty smirk. He points and starts to fire, but he sees nothing. His smirk fades.

"Boss, they're not here!" He shouts before scanning the area. "Where are you—Whoa!"

Suddenly, Elastigirl's arms wrap around the gang member's head as he gets dragged into the shadows. A quick struggle ensues as Elastigirl whispers.

"Alright, Violet. Now!" urged Elastigirl as Violet – now fully visible – summons a forcefield around the gang member's Sonic Blaster. He whimpers in fear as the pair of Incredibles treat him like a human piñata, incapacitating him with quick strikes.

After he lies on the floor, Elastigirl and Violet huddle in the darkest part of the engine room. "Okay, the coast is clear for now," Elastigirl whispered.

Violet nods. "Alright, Mom. What's the plan?"

The feeling of being trapped in a yacht against her will again bothers Elastigirl. Looking at the worried look on her daughter's face, thoughts of seething rage creep into her mind. Nevertheless, she maintains her composure.

"We have the element of surprise, but that could change at any minute," she said. "Right now, it's just the two of us. We got to stop these guys, no matter what."

Violet nods with a frown on her face. Elastigirl notices that as she wraps her arm around her daughter's shoulder. "What's wrong, sweetie?"

"It's just… I saw what these guys did to Current. I saw Axel… I…"

Elastigirl consoles Violet as she frowns, sympathizing with her daughter's concern. "Current's a strong, young man. Remember, sweetie. You can't keep a good Super down. He came here to help us, so we'll return the favour."

Hearing her mother's soothing words calms Violet down. With a renewed spirit, she nods with a purpose. "O-okay, Mom. I'm ready."

Elastigirl smiles. "Let's show these jerks we mean business."

* * *

In New Toronto, Megann and Moon tend to Gabe's mysterious bullet wound. Using her secondary power of lunar sight, she focuses on the moon's energies and tries to determine the location of the bullet.

"Strange," Moon said with a worried look on her face. "There's no exit wound, no bullet, nothing."

Sewing up the wound with nanotechnology, Megann evaluates Gabe's health. A holographic emoji of a sad face is on her LED screen.

"Gabe's still breathing, but whatever happened took a lot of toll on his body. My nanobots will help treat the wound, but he needs proper care. Fast."

Moon nods, petting Megann with an anxious smile. "Thank you."

She glances up at her monitor as she sees the faces of Hannah and Axel. Visibly tired and stressed, she nervously bites her lip.

"C'mon, guys," Moon whispered, "Time's running out."

* * *

Back in New Urbem, Voyage and Voyd make their way out of the hospital when Voyage stops her friend near the doors. "Voyd? Hold on a sec, okay?"

As Voyd and Voyage make their way to Winston's van, Voyage stops for a moment as Voyd stops and turns around. "Yeah, but… Umm, Voyage? Hey, we gotta hurry…"

Voyd sees her friend staring at the hospital. Without saying another word, she places a hand on Voyage's shoulder with a smile. Voyage turns to Voyd and places a hand over hers, smiling in response. Voyd helps Voyage to the van, but she sees something strange.

Unbeknownst to Voyage, her eyes suddenly flash to a shade of verdant green before she smiles and closes her eyes.

For a moment, a sense of fear washes over Voyage as she finds herself in a dark void. Images of her life flash around the area. Proving her worth as a hero was more than just a one-woman battle. It was a battle that she managed to fight with friends she wouldn't trade for anything else in the world.

Especially Axel.

In her mind, Hannah recalls the first time she met Axel. Back then, she was just Hannah-Faith Yates and he was just Axel Price. Two young adults that love geeky stuff with a desire of wanting to make the world a happier place.

Even though she was nervous, Hannah didn't want to screw up her chance to make a new friend. But she wanted to take a chance. In time, Axel became her best friend, her greatest ally, and sometimes… her emotional center.

Hannah never thought this day would come. She knew about it, but she didn't seem to acknowledge it. She almost didn't want to acknowledge it. One last image of Axel and Hannah hanging out together rings in Hannah's mind. His smile lingers for a while before fading away as she comes to...

* * *

Voyage opens her eyes, taking one last look at the hospital. A smile curls across Voyage's face as a confused Voyd looks on. "Umm, Vo-Voyage? Are you okay?"

"Aye, yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Voyage said. "I… just want to stop Gravitas and his gang. C'mon, let's stop faffin' around."

Voyd suddenly realizes what's going on. It's a bit unknown to her, but she's had a relationship or two back in the day. She whispers in Voyage's ear and nods to the hospital with a smirk.  _"_ Is  _he_  on your mind _?"_

"Who? Ax… I mean, Current? No, no, I mean… Yeah… I mean…"

Voyd smirks, shaking her head. "Heh, you're starting to sound like me. Let's go!"

The two heroes make their way to Winston's van as Winston – now in his suit – studies a blueprint of  _Carpe Diem_. His eyes dart as he mutters incoherent sentences, shaking and nodding his head as he does so. He stops as he sees his allies.

"Voyd, Voyage, it's about time! Listen, I found a way to access Carpe Diem through my van," he rambled. "Now, it-it's all  _pretty_  new for me. Plus, my sister and I built Carpe Diem together. Like I said before, my sister's usually the one with the plans. After all, Carpe Diem was our first endeavour together! But I like to think I'm smart, too, so I…"

"Winston?" Voyd and Voyage said in unison.

"Yes?"

They point to the blueprint. It has numerous circles on it including a massive circle down by the engine room.

"Yes, sorry about that," Winston said with a sheepish chuckle. He clears his throat. "Anyways, down by the engine room, there's a secret room only accessible to me and my sister. It's a room that my sister said that can… 'manually override the yacht's defence systems.'"

Voyage shakes her head in confusion. "Wait, defence systems?"

* * *

Back on Carpe Diem, Elastigirl and Violet navigate through the yacht as quiet as they could be. Violet spots a lone gang member skulking near an entrance to the main deck. He's the same lanky man they fought against in the museum.

And he spots them. His gnarly, creepy-ass smile curls across his face.

"Oooh, found two bad little girls. I think it's time for your punishment!" The lanky man screamed as he prepares a Cryo-Grenade.

Before the grenade can even hum, they all hear loud warning sirens. Suddenly, Elastigirl spots two pairs of pillars and this weird, holographic, gelatinous material forming in between them. Despite being just as confused, Elastigirl knows this situation all too well.

"Vi, look out!" She yelled, using her powers to roll Violet up and turn into a ball, rolling out of the way of the containment trap. It quickly forms and contracts around the lanky man… with a live Cryo-Grenade in his hand.

"Wa-Wa-Wait! Help me! Plea—" The lanky man screamed before the grenade -and the containment trap – activates. The Parrs watch as the man is simultaneously encased in ice and a gel-like substance.

"Defense systems. Good thing we weren't aboard this ship when Evelyn kidnapped you, Mom," Violet said.

Elastigirl nods. "Yeah, sweetie, it's definitely… Violet, hide!"

They hear a commotion from the upper decks as Pinky's voice can be heard up above. His voice is too inaudible, but it's clear that he's not alone. They hide as Violet has an idea.

"Wait! I can distract them!" whispered Violet.

Elastigirl is cleverly wedged in between two pipes in the darkest corner of the hallway. She hears Violet's words, but she won't risk compromising her location.

"What? How?"

"Just watch, Mom!" Violet summons a small force-field and fires it in the opposite direction like a tennis ball. Suddenly, Pinky and Kali make their way to their location, armed with weapons and with most of the gang behind them.

"You hear that, boss lady? It could be a trap," Pinky said.

Kali turns to her partner in crime with a look of sheer, stupidity-induced awe. " _Could_ be? Ah, just… C'mon, boys, look alive. Let's flush these zeroes out."

They make their way to the lower deck as Violet and Elastigirl regroup. "Mom, did you hear what she said? Zeroes?! Who does she think she is?"

Elastigirl nods. "I know. I think it's time we shut her mouth and kick her ass."

She moves before she hears a surprised gasp from Violet. Elastigirl turns and smirks. "Sweetie, I'm sorry. I'm just angry. Let's go. And we  _don't_ tell your father about this… or your brother!"

Elastigirl tip-toes her way to the lower deck as Violet follows behind her with an unusually giddy giggle.

* * *

Back in Winston's van, Winston helps Voyd and Voyage navigate Carpe Diem with pictures from his phone, videos, and blueprints of the yacht. "Alright, ladies, is everything okay?"

Voyage smiles and nods as her eyes turn purple. Suddenly, she sees Voyd and gets an idea. "Voyd, do it!" urged the young hero.

Stunned, Voyd turns to her. "Me? Umm, I don't know if I can. My power isn't…"

"No, no. I know you can do it. We're a duo now. Let's bounce ideas off one another."

"Um, o-okay. But how can I get to Carpe Diem from here? You're the long-distance specialist," Voyd said, nervously pressing her hands together.

Voyage puts a hand on Voyd's shoulders. "Oh, catch yourself on, Voyd! You can rip through reality itself, just like me. All you gotta do… is to make your power your own."

Confused but eager to help, Voyd mumbles her friend's last sentence. "Make my power my own. Are… are you sure?"

"I know you can! Why? Because I believe in you. I know you can do this, so be the hero, Voyd," Voyage said before she smiles. "Be the hero we know you can be!"

Voyd's eyes twinkle as she smiles back, her teal-blue hair hangs over her left eye. As energized as she can be, the sweet Super nods. "O-okay. I'll try!"

Concentrating on her power of dimensional manipulation, Voyd extends both of her hands out. To Voyd, this was nothing like practicing her power in silence on those warm Seattle nights. Gone were the days when she struggled to summon just a  _single_ portal. Gone were the days she used to cry in her room at night in secret, hoping and begging that she wants to prove herself to the world. To her allies. To Violet and Elastigirl and Current. And especially for Voyage.

 _If I can do this_ , she thought _, I'll finally have that chance. I… I have to take it. I must!_

With the yacht and her friends – both old and new – in her mind, she focuses on Elastigirl. A weird, teal-blue spark dances across Voyd's eyes. With all of her might, she starts to pry open the portal like a box.

"COME ON!" Voyd screamed, slowly but surely ripping a hole in reality, creating a gigantic portal.

* * *

As Pinky, Kali, and their accomplices make their way towards the crew quarters, Kali whips around and aims her Sonic Scrambler at Elastigirl and Violet.

"I heard your footsteps a mile away. Shouldn't have worn heels, darlings," Kali said with a malicious smirk. The rest of her allies aim at the Parrs as Elastigirl sneers at Kali. The Scramblers start to fire when, suddenly, they see it…

* * *

"THERE!" Voyd doggedly pulls apart a large portal to the crew quarters on Carpe Diem. The portal looks quite unstable, but it's there. Winston and Voyage gasps and smiles in shock.

"Alright, girls, go! Brick and I will take it from here!" yelled Winston.

Voyage nods as she takes an exhausted Voyd and jumps through the portal.

The Backdraft Gang whips around and fires their Sonic Scramblers at Voyd and Voyage as the latter's eyes flash green. The Scramblers start to malfunction as one by one, the gang scatters around the quarters.

"Behind you!" screamed Voyage as she summons a portal behind Elastigirl. A Cryo-Grenade reappears outside of the yacht as it detonates in mid-air. Elastigirl quickly extends her leg and roundhouse kicks two B.D. Gang members, knocking them out.

"Thanks, I… Violet, over there!" Elastigirl said, pointing to Kali firing shots from her revolver. Violet quickly summons a forcefield around Voyage as Pinky lunges towards her.

Suddenly, a teal-blue portal opens in front of him and much like the grenade, Pinky takes a dive into the ocean through another portal. Voyage turns to a tired but eager Voyd as they fist-bump before using their powers as one.

"I got your back!" said Voyage as her eyes turn purple.

Voyd nods. "Right behind ya!"

In a portal-weaving whirling dervish, the Portal Pals scan the room and summon their portals, attacking the Backdraft Gang with a dizzying display of hidden attacks. Covering their blindspots, Violet summons forcefields around the gang's Cryo-Grenades while Elastigirl uses her elasticity to knock out any escaping gangsters.

The Parrs nullify the gang's attacks while the Portal Pals go for the one-two combination. Voyd smiles as Kali reappears, taking cover from behind a path to the crew's kitchen. She sizes Voyd up and aims at the back of her head before firing.

"Voyd, behind you!" said Voyage after turning around. The bullet almost finds its mark, but Elastigirl jumps in front of the bullet to save Voyd. The bullet ricochets from Elastigirl to Kali as the latter ducks out of the way.

With one more bullet in the chamber, Kali has an evil smile on her face. "Not this time, you bit—"

Suddenly, a beam of deep blue energy rockets through the quarters and striking Kali in the face. She groans and stumbles before the group as Voyd's eyes glow with a deep teal-blue hue to them. An enraged Voyage walks over to Kali.

"Don't you DARE harm or touch my friends again, you wee arsehole!" said Voyage as she punches the hell out of Kali. Violet tries to calm Voyage down before they all hear an unfortunately familiar voice.

"Get your god-damn hands off her!" yelled Gravitas as he makes his way to the crew quarters. His eyes glow a deep shade of black behind his mask. The heroes turn and face him as Voyd uses her strange new power to fire her 'portal beams' to weaken Gravitas.

"You took my best friend from me!" yelled Voyage as the glow from her eyes intensifies.

Sensing that her friend might not be herself, Voyd summons a portal behind Gravitas leading to the ocean. Gravitas is blown through the portal by Voyd's beams, but he levitates in mid-air as he heads to the upper deck.

"Voyd, let's go!" Voyage said before making her way to the upper deck.

Voyd, Elastigirl, and Violet regroup within the crew quarters, seeing the Backdraft Gang lie battered and beaten on the floor.

Voyd's eyes sparkle and the glow fades as she turns to Elastigirl, eternally grateful for her mentor saving her life. "Elastigirl, I…"

Elastigirl has a worried smile on her face, looking at the energy around Voyd's hands. "No need to thank me, Voyd. We need to stick together. But right now, we need to snap Voyage out of it. Let's go!"

Elastigirl chases Voyage as Violet looks up at Voyd. "Are you okay?"

Voyd nods with an awkward smile. It's not every day someone tried to kill her, so she's a bit frazzled as she nervously chuckles. "Heh, I-I'm fine, Vi. Umm, let's go. They need us."

Voyd heads to the upper deck. Violet looks on with a very worried look on her face before chasing after them.

* * *

_**Whoa! Wait?! J.J. Flip, what the zip?! Voyd has a new power! What does this mean for our heroes? What will happen when they face Gravitas once and for all? Find out as we make our way to the end next time on Voyd & Voyage: Portal Pals!** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Notes: I sincerely apologize to all my lovely readers for the wait. But I promise it'll be worth it. As we speak, I'm writing the end to Portal Pals. I can't wait to see where this story will end up. Plus, I wrote two epilogues. One of them's currently being fine-tuned and the other one...
> 
> Let's just say it's one spicy meatball. ;)
> 
> Anyways, hope you enjoy it. All feedback will be appreciated. Be excellent to each other. Stay Golden. And, of course...
> 
> Later days. - Thicket


	11. Battle by the Bay (B3)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last time on Voyd & Voyage: Portal Pals...
> 
> IT WAS AN ALL-OUT BRAWL. The fists were flying, the portals were weaving and our two heroes bonded through their belief in each other. Allowing Voyage's spirit and words to spur her forward, Voyd evolves her portal-weaving powers. Meanwhile, the Parrs escaped due to Violet's quick thinking, waging war on the Backdraft Gang.
> 
> When our story paused, we saw Voyd's new power: the ability to shoot dimensional lasers of energy. 'Portal Beams'. Voyage raced after Gravitas as we cut to Current just after his surgery...

As two nurses wheel an unresponsive Axel to a hospital room, bandages are wrapped around his upper chest. Despite his abilities, they proved to be almost unrewarding in Axel’s current state. Although it wasn’t a fatal wound, the damage sustained from Kali’s bullet took its toll on the young superhero.

Dressed in a hospital gown, a drop of blood can be seen leaking out of Axel’s entrance wound. One of the nurses carefully fixes the bandage over the right upper chest, positioned under his clavicle. It was close – but not too close – to his right lung. Due to his resilience as an Anomaly, Axel lived through surgery…

But it certainly _wasn’t_ a picnic.

“Here we are, Mr. Price,” one nurse said.

The nurses slowly guide Axel inside of a hospital bed, set up in his own room. The window to his left displays a wonderful view of the New Urbem Bay.

“You’ve lost quite a bit of blood, but it’s a survivable wound,” the other nurse said. “Just be thankful a lung wasn’t punctured and that your friends brought you here fast enough.”

“Or that your collarbone wasn’t broken…”

The nurses fluff Axel’s pillow and make sure he’s in a comfortable position. His eyes are closed as the first nurse places a hand on his shoulder.

“Keep fighting, Mr. Price. We won’t forget what you Supers did for us.”

The nurse smiles and walks away as the other nurse follows suit. “Thank you.”

The nurses walk away as the lights are turned off. 

Silence.

* * *

 _"I WILL FIND YOU!”_ Voyage thought. Over and over again.

She storms through Carpe Diem on her way to the upper deck, maneuvering around tight corridors and different traps. An electric fence trap activates, but Voyage portals her way through. The same gel trap activates in another section of the lower deck, but she instinctively creates a pair of portals to get away.

Gabe’s symbiotic link wavers like a passing thought, but that’s not on her mind right now. Enraged and scared for her friends’ safety and wellbeing, pure revenge lingers in Voyage’s mind.

* * *

 

Even in Axel’s state, he started to dream. About his life, his parents, his hopes and dreams. He dreamt about his friends, the Gimmicks. About Moon and her confidence. About D.K. and his determination. Even Megann and her… charm.

He dreamt about the villains he fought, the people he had saved, and the new friends he’s made along the way. Gabe. Voyd. Violet. Elastigirl. Winston. Hell, even Brick.

But then, all alone in his hospital room, Axel dreamt about Hannah.

* * *

 

“Voyage? Hannah?!”

Elastigirl and Voyd join Voyage in their pursuit of Gravitas. Weaving and using portals through various traps, their faces are filled with a mix of determination and fear of the unknown.

“Elastigirl? Will Voyage be alright?” Voyd said, running next to Elastigirl.

“I don’t know, Voyd,” Elastigirl replied, “But I know that you can’t be reckless in missions like this. We have to get through to Voyage as soon as possible.”

“Right!” Thoughts race through Voyd’s mind, but she clears them for the task at hand.

Violet brings up the rear as she looks up at a distraught Voyd. “Um, are you sure she’ll be okay?”

Voyd looks down at her young friend, obviously worried about Voyage. Undertaking her role as part of a new team of national Supers was tough enough for the young Super. The hardships, battles, and personal struggles certainly weighed a lot on her mind. As the infiltration expert, Voyd was tasked with the most daunting of missions. And she _proved_ successful in all of them.

However, if it weren’t for Brick, the other Supers, and the Incredibles… Especially Elastigirl as her mentor…

It would’ve certainly taken its toll.

However, the opportunity to save the world from an inter-dimensional villain was a first for her. Especially since she had two new, inter-dimensional friends who put their faith in her. Well, that and these new abilities. For the first time in a while, the future seemed unclear.

And Voyd didn’t like that. She tries to put on a brave face, but Violet senses her uncertainty. “Nothing in life is certain, Vi, but Elastigirl is right,” Voyd said timidly. “We got to help Voyage complete her mission and take Gravitas _down_.”

Nevertheless, Violet nods, determined to help her new friends out. “Okay, Kare-Bear, I’ll be right behind you.”

* * *

 

In his hospital bed, Axel dreamt about the first time he met Hannah. Back then, he was just Axel Price and she was just Hannah-Faith Yates. Two young nerds that just wanted to make the world a better place. He could tell how nervous she was, but he liked her eagerness. Her laugh. Her warm soul.

Her life. Her hopes and her fears. He even started to think about how beautiful she was, both inside and out.

Axel dreamt about becoming an Anomaly – Current – and how he fought against the crime syndicate known as the 77s with Hannah. Together, he dreamt about his future as a hero and his friends beside him. About Hannah by his side.

Finally, a clear image of Hannah calling out for him echoes in his mind before it fades. Despite his state, a part of his mind desperately tries to hold on to her melodic voice.

* * *

 

Voyage finally makes her way to the upper deck as she spots Gravitas lifting Pinky up with his powers. Elastigirl, Voyd, and Violet catch up to her as she points a dogged finger at her burden.

“You!” Voyage screamed. Her eyes flare with a streak of purple. “You’re not going anywhere—”

“You know something?” Gravitas interrupts Voyage by using his powers to pin all of them to the deck’s floor. “I’m kinda sick and tired of people telling me what I _can_ or _can’t_ do.”

The ladies struggle as Elastigirl grits her teeth in frustration. “Well, gee, maybe it’s because a young man like yourself needs some guidance in your life!”

Gravitas scoffs. “Ha! You sound just like my mom.”

“That’s because I _am_ a mo—That’s not the point!”

“Hmm, you’re right for once,” Gravitas sneered as he makes his way to Voyage. “Lemme get a good look at you.” He makes Voyage hover in the air before turning her upside down.

Voyage stares down Gravitas with a look of pure defiance. “You won’t win.”

“Oh, yeah? That so?”

“Aye. Not while I’m still breathin’.”

Gravitas chuckles. “Do you know why I joined the Backdraft Gang? Hmm? Why I ‘left’ Gabe and New Toronto, as Gabe probably put it?”

Voyage spots the Stim-Booster Gauntlet attached to the masked villain’s left arm. “Maybe it’s because theft wasn’t your fancy? Death? Destruction?”

Taking advantage of the situation, Elastigirl spots Pinky staring at the scene with a grin on his face. She subtly stretches her arm around the upper deck to catch him by surprise. Pinky, meanwhile, crosses his arms.

“Nah, little lady. That god-damn shit’s overrated,” Pinky said with a belly laugh to Elastigirl’s ire. “Our ‘fancy’ is to be free. To do whatever we want.”

Gravitas nods as he chuckles with an ominous tone. “And freedom ain’t free, sweetheart. You gotta do whatever it takes to capture a taste of it. Only Kali, Pinky, and the rest of my gang knew that. Not Gabe and certainly not you.”

He extends another hand out to Voyage, momentarily ending his control on Voyd and the Parrs. “Emily Dickinson once said, “The Heart wants what it wants - or else it does not care.” Hypocritical of me to like poetry, I know. But… she ain’t the only damsel to know what loss means.”

 _Loss._ That word burned in Voyage’s brain like a brand. A brand she wouldn’t dare use on any of her animals in her farm back home, let alone a wild animal. The temerity from Gravitas, however, caused her to lash out like one. Voyage clenches her fists so hard, a worried Voyd hears her knuckles pop.

“Loss? Loss?! Don’t you ever tell me you know what the _fuck_ that means!” Voyage growled as her body trembles with fury. “You wanna know who should be free? Gabe, you wee shite! How do you think he feels?! He misses you!”

Violet, sympathizing with her friend’s rage, decides that the time for action is now as she disappears…

Voyage’s accent intensifies as her face is red with anger. “You watched as your ‘new favourite’ shot my best friend in cold blood! You endangered the lives of a damn city! Don’t you dare throw Gabe away like a chew toy! …To think he could possibly love someone like you.”

Suddenly, Gravitas tilts his head. It’s as if this random, annoying-ass ‘hero’ awoke a sleeping lion. He tightens his gravitational hold on Voyage as she screams in pain.

“Gabe would _never_ understand! He always hesitates! You, him, even your friends! People like you go around and act all… self-righteous just ‘cuz you got powers! And because of that, you get people killed or abused by real monsters! Oh, I know about Syndrome and the Screenslaver.”

Elastigirl’s eyes open wide hearing those names, causing her nostrils to flare in anger. Gravitas continues.

“Well, if you think I’m a monster because of freedom… fine. When I crush you _and_ that city, I’ll finally be free from you and Gabe. And if he’s listening… “Hey, sweetie. I guess this wasn’t worth the risk after all.” Say goodnight.”

“I agree, young man. You’re right, for once,” Elastigirl said after she realized her daughter was missing. She smiles.

Violet suddenly reappears with a dropkick on Gravitas, sending him reeling before she disappears again. At the same time, Elastigirl takes the legs out from under Pinky as he gets whipped to the ground.

“Oof!” Pinky groaned.

In the chaos, Voyage summons a portal below her and gets back on her feet. “Voyd! I need your help!”

Hearing the war of words between Voyage and Gravitas, their combined rage was a lot to take in for Voyd. It weighed heavily on her heart, but she made a solemn promise to herself and Voyage. Hannah’s pain became Karen’s cross to bear.

“Okay. I’m right beside ya,” she said softly as she pats Voyage’s shoulder. Despite her rage, Voyage turns and smiles slightly at her friend. The Portal Pals stand together as Voyd’s body glows once more, firing her portal beams at Gravitas.

Dodging her attacks, Gravitas uses his powers to hurl several chairs in their direction. The Portal Pals instinctively creates an array of portals to avoid getting hit as the masked villain rises higher in the air.

Meanwhile, Pinky leaps and decides to charge at the smaller Elastigirl. However, Violet trips his leg, sending him to the ground. In a surprising display of dexterity, Pinky uses his weight to use his momentum to level Elastigirl with a dropkick. But the experienced hero is resilient as she stands tall.

“It’s my turn to clean your mouth,” Elastigirl whispered, spitting on the deck.

She enlarges her hands and uses them like hammers, attempting to drive Pinky to the ground. Pinky uses his strength to push it back, but he fails to spot Violet. Violet reappears, violently kicking him where the sun doesn’t shine.

“Ah! Damn it!” Pinky screamed as Elastigirl knocks him out with a forceful blow.

“Yeah, that’s right! Guess what my fancy is, Pinky? The amount of _ass_ I just kicked!” Violet babbled before she turned to her mother, closing her mouth.

Seeing Pinky down for the 10-count, Elastigirl sighs before she pats her daughter’s head with a smile. Violet smiles wide.

“That’s my girl,” Elastigirl said. “C’mon! Let’s help them out!”

“Got it, Mom!” Violet immediately hurls force-field projectiles in Gravitas’ direction.

Gravitas amplifies his power as the black streaks around his mask’s eyes glows black. He uses his personal gravity field to repel Carpe Diem – and Violet’s projectiles – away from him. Unfortunately for him, Voyage uses her portals to land right on top of him as she attempts to choke him out.

“You… bitch!” Gravitas screamed as he grabs Voyage by the hair and hurls the young Anomaly away with a small graviton wave behind her.

Voyage peeks behind her and smirks at Gravitas, waving her middle-finger and disappearing behind a portal. Suddenly, a flying Elastigirl, boosted with the help of the upper deck’s doors, collides into Gravitas like a missile.

Together, the Portal Pals combine Voyage’s portals and Voyd’s portal beams to send the masked villain hurling through the air. With a smile, Voyage teleports Gravitas back on the yacht with a thud. As the beams track him and singe his flesh, Gravitas roars as the Stim-Booster Gauntlet reacts ominously.

And then… a tremendous graviton wave emerges.

Propelling the heroes into the stern of the yacht, it even reaches New Urbem Bay as it levels windows and sends people to the ground. Elastigirl protects her allies by wrapping herself around them, but she struggles with the sheer force.

Clutching around his heart, Gravitas’ eyes dart around like a cornered animal. His mask drops to the floor as blood from his nose starts to flow. “No... No. No! I’m going out on my _own_ terms!”

Thanks to Winston’s plans, Voyd activates Carpe Diem’s upper deck’s defense systems: B-3 Turrets. “Requesting target and preferred ammunition, Mr. and Ms. Deavor,” the automated system bellowed.

“That guy over there!” Voyd shouted, pointing at Gravitas. “Shoot to incapacitate! Don’t. Kill. Him.”

“Acknowledged. Using high-velocity Gel-O rounds.”

“Gel-O rounds? B-3 Turrets?! What yacht uses B-3 Turrets?!” Violet shrieked.

“Blame Evelyn!” Elastigirl replied rapidly as she stretches an enlarged fist towards Gravitas.

Using his amplified powers, Gravitas bounces both the turret fire and Elastigirl’s fist back like balls against a wall. The scene stuns Voyage, seeing the frightening display of force with fear.

_How? Could I be strong like… No. I have to focus… But what if I’m not strong enough…_

Gravitas uses his graviton waves to disable the turrets. Seeing Voyage quake in fear, Voyd gets an idea. She smiles as she cleverly summons a portal under a lamp and on top of his head. The sudden impact causes Gravitas to stumble.

“Voyage! Finish your mission! Remember… I got your back!”

 _I got your back._ Voyd’s words rang in Voyage’s mind as her eyes turn green once again. The world seems to slow down. Using her temporary power of probability manipulation, Voyage finds the right time and takes a step towards Gravitas.

The following events seemed to last for a lifetime. Gravitas leaning forward and preparing a devastating final attack. Violet summoning a force-field around Voyd and Elastigirl. Voyd calling out to her, her words like molasses.

As Gravitas opens his eyes, Voyage spears the ever-living shit out of him and summons a portal behind him… mere seconds before his attack comes out. Deciding to save the city and her friends, she screams as the portal appears right above the waters as the two Anomalies disappear. Right under the ocean.

Voyd and the Parrs spot the harrowing scene as they rush to the bow of the ship. “What’s… Where’s Voyage?” Violet screamed. “Hannah!!!”

Elastigirl was silent as she held her daughter. She turns to Voyd as the latter suddenly decides to leap on the bow. “What… Voy… Karen, what are you doing?!”

“I have to save them, Elastigirl. …I made a promise,” Voyd said as she removes her mask and gives it to her mentor. Karen smiles, taking a deep breath before she dives in the ocean, attempting to rescue her friend.

* * *

 

Back in New Toronto, a trickle of water pours down Gabe’s mouth as Moon and Megann look at each other in terror.

“We have to end this mission. Now,” Moon said to Megann. “Megann, commence Adrenaline Protocol.”

Megann turns to Gabe as she slowly nods. “A-acknowledged.”

* * *

_**Will Voyd save Voyage and Gravitas? How will our story end?  And what will our heroes learn? Find out on our thrilling conclusion of 'Voyd & Voyage: Portal Pals!"** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WE'RE ALMOST DONE, LADS AND LADIES!
> 
> My final chapter of Portal Pals will be released either around Halloween or next month, just before my birthday on Nov. 5th. Hope I can celebrate my birthday by giving you lovely readers a gift.
> 
> Thanks for your views and support. All feedback and comments are welcomed.


	12. The Medium (Golden Hour)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last time on Voyd & Voyage: Portal Pals? Shit was crazy. Long story short, our heroes fought the Backdraft Gang up and down Carpe Diem. Gabe - much like Peter Parker - doesn't feel so good. Moon and Megann definitely don't feel so good. And if Voyd can't save Hannah and Gravitas from the ocean's grasp in time, she will never feel good again. Now, my lovely readers, it's been a ride...
> 
> This... is the end of _**Voyd & Voyage: Portal Pals**_. Enjoy your Halloween/Post-Halloween treat, you halloweenies. c:
> 
> P.S.: I totally gave Karen a proper last name. See if y'all like it!

As Voyd emerges deeper into the ocean, she uses all of her training, skills, and her power to descend deeper.

* * *

_"Look at her…"_

_In a playground, on a warm Seattle summer day, a young Voyd – nine-year-old Karen Corsello – sits in a sandbox, covered with sand. She sees granules of sand fall past her shoulder-length green hair. Her adorable, little overalls have small shoe imprints over it. Teary-eyed, she sees other children point and laugh at her. Leaving her, the rude bullies throw cruel insults, as excessive as they are hurtful._

_"What a toothpick…"_

_"Who the heck is she trying to impress?"_

_"Her hair's stupider than she is…"_

_"Leave her! She's a loser. Always will be…"_

_They all leave, leaving Karen in a heap of sand and tears. Too upset to think, she retreats to a private place, disappearing through a small portal._

_The last thing she sees in the sandbox before leaving is a crude but adorable drawing of her, together with other stick buddies by her side. A small puddle of water can be seen next to one of them…_

* * *

_"Wait for me…"_ Karen thought. " _Please, Hannah, hold on…_ "

* * *

On Carpe Diem, Elastigirl paces back and forth. "It's too late," she muttered, regarding calling her husband – Mr. Incredible – to come back from his trip with the boys to help. "What can we do?" she said to Violet.

Violet's eyes dart from side to side, frantically pacing like her mother before she gets an idea. "Mom! Mom, Mom! Stay close to me! I think I can jump, create a force field strong enough to reach Voyd, and use it to propel myself deeper. I-I can reach Hannah!"

Elastigirl panics. Her daughter was always intelligent, but her creative use of her powers was selfless… and risky. "Are you sure, sweetie?"

Violet wasn't sure. But one thing  _was_  for sure: she's a Super. Saving people – even other 'Supers' from different dimensions – was a day in the life for her. She wants to make her mother proud. …She wants to help.

"I'm sure, Mom," she said with confidence. "I'm surer than anything else in my life."

Full of happiness, Elastigirl stays close and hugs her daughter from behind. "I am  _so_  proud of you..." Violet beams wide. "Let's go, honey!"

"Okay, Mom!" Violet carries out her plan, creating a super strong force field. The vibrancy is strong as its hum. She takes a deep breath and moves her body forward, descending into the ocean's depths.

* * *

Deeper in the depths, Karen reaches her hand out, hoping… praying to find something familiar to hold on to.

 _"C'mon… C'mon, Hannah, I—Hannah!" She_  feels curly ringlets, soaked in the water. It was Hannah, alright. But she's losing oxygen...

* * *

In New Toronto, Gabe's mouth drips with water as an alarmed Moon acts. Checking his weak pulse, she weighs the options before shaking her head.  _It must be done…_

"Megann, are you ready? Do it," she said, laying Gabe down and performing crude CPR. "…Now!"

Megann hovers nervously in the air, her LED face looking more and more nervous. She spots the gunshot wound as her robotic voice trembles. "Um… But-but-but, Ms. Kim, w-what about—"

"Forget about the mission! Gabe's dying! We need to wake him up, ASAP!"

"Yes, Moon! Right away! Commencing Adrenaline Protocol…"

The AI companion closes her 'eyes' as her body heads to a table and slowly goes to 'sleep'. Their secret hangout – the Hideout – starts opening secret vents. A large partition opens in the floor, revealing a bed-sized, vertical chamber that swallows Gabe in. With numerous mechanical tentacles, a pillow is placed behind Gabe, offering support. Megann's voice echoes through the place.

Unlike her usual high-spirited voice, her voice through the Hideout is clear, concise, and eerily calm. "Commencing protocol. Delivering treatment." Inside the chamber, Megann begins the process of treating Gabe's condition. Diverting all energy towards their absolute last resort, Moon shakes her head and starts to panic, thinking about her friends…

* * *

Karen holds on to Hannah, paying no mind to whether or not Gravitas is in her possession. She tries to summon a portal, but it barely holds. Thanks to her training as a lifeguard growing up, she could handle being in the water for a while…

But, she was more concerned about the two that can't. What's more, the deeper Karen dives further down, the harder it will be to hold her breath.

Holding on to Hannah, it doesn't take long for Karen to feel something else close by. A porcelain mask followed by another outstretched hand…

" _Gravitas,"_ she thought.

Like Voyage, Voyd made a solemn vow to protect others. However, unlike Hannah, anger wasn't the emotion clouding Karen's mind. It was intensity. She grabs Holden and tries her hardest to summon that same unstable portal, but it slowly fails. Deep in the ocean, even her powers and training didn't account for unassisted deep-sea diving. And the pressure makes it harder and harder for Karen to hold her breath.

She tries to swim, inch by inch, closer to the surface, holding both Holden and Hannah. With the water surrounding her, it was futile to open her eyes. All she could do was swim… and think…

_"I won't give up on you if you won't give up on me, okay?"_

Karen recalls the promise she made to Hannah hours ago…

_"…for the people of New Urbem…"_

With her dwindling mental fortitude, Karen finally recalls the first time she dropped her identity to random strangers. With Hannah and Axel, Karen felt like she belonged in their lives despite knowing them for so little. During their days between figuring out the Backdraft Gang's next moves, she spent time with the duo. She got to know them…

Their lives and interests. Axel's humour and cool, island charm. Hannah's cheerful, affable personality. They liked Voyd. They  _loved_  Karen. Nervous, dorky Karen. They treated her like one of their own and Karen's heart sang all the better for it.

Hannah's words echoed in Karen's mind…

_"I'll see you tomorrow, Portal Pal… Portal Pal… Portal…"_

_"Hannah, I made… a promise. Don't give up… Please!"_ With her last bit of effort, she starts arriving close – but not quite – to the surface. She suddenly loses the rest of her oxygen as an anxious Karen starts to take in water.

Suddenly, something propels her forward! In her hazy mind, Karen felt like her teammate Screech, speeding through the sky. But instead, she's gliding through the ocean as she, Hannah, and Holden are chucked in the air!

* * *

Gasping for breaths, Karen's eyes open wide right before she gets wrapped by Elastigirl's arm, pulling all three of them in close. Violet uses her powers to summon the same forcefield to place them back on Carpe Diem. Without a second to waste, Karen leans over Hannah, checking for a pulse…

But there is none.

Performing CPR through her tears, Hannah calls out for her friend while Elastigirl tends to Holden.

"Hannah, please! …Don't die. I… Please. Dammit! People need you… Axel needs you!"

No response.

Karen tries CPR again, this time under pressure. Wherever they're from didn't matter. Right now, she wants her dear friend back. Compression after compression, there seemed to be no development.

Violet mumbles, incredibly nervous. "B-both Hannah and Gravitas stayed in the ocean's depths for five to six minutes. You gotta save them, because…" She sees Hannah's pale skin with a faint blue hue. "...K-Kare Bear, please!"

"I'm trying, Violet!" Much like the figure in the sandbox, her tears dot Hannah's face like a freckle. A couple of compressions later… "I need you, Hannah!"

One good compression later… Hannah opens her eyes wide, her eyes donning a new, deep magenta glow. A portal emerges under the Portal Pals, but it… solidifies?! It hovers high in the air as the Parrs step back in disbelief.

"Goodness," Elastgirl whispered.

"Whoa!" Violet is enthralled at the awesome sight.

Hannah coughs, spitting out water. It's a lot, but she's alive. Shuddering slightly, Hannah slowly comes to, opening her eyes.

"V-Voyd? …K-Karen… what…? What happened?"

Karen hugs her as Elastigirl prevents Gravitas from drowning a minute later. As he comes to, his wrathful expression doesn't change but he gets knocked out by Elastigirl. Relieved that the nightmare is over, she turns to the rest as they all see a blue-and-white aura slowly shimmering around Hannah…

* * *

In the chamber, Megann administers medical aid on an unresponsive Gabe. Nurturing his wounds and alleviating his drowning woes, a small cloud of gas fills the chamber. "Dispersing restorative cryo-based potpourri." The cool, aromatic gas envelops Gabe, decreasing the tension in his muscles and sealing his wounds. His eyes start to move…

Sensing that their time in New Urbem might be over, Hannah thinks about Axel in the hospital as this 'portal disk' suddenly makes its way there.

"Hannah, I—Whoa!" Karen holds on the edge as they swiftly head back to the city. With Gravitas in tow, the Parrs follow them with Violet's bubble.

* * *

Making their way to the hospital, Hannah does away with her secret identity. In her mind, she's in another world. Secret identities are moot, but one can't be too sure. Close to closing time, the skies are dark in New Urbem, a full moon on the horizon.

"H-Hello! I  _need_ to find out where Axel Price's room is!" she said to a security guard.

"I don't know, ma'am," he replied, slowly recognizing Karen – quickly putting on the mask – turns around as Voyd. "Come with me to the security office. Are you and Ms. Voyd his family members or…?"

He sees Elastigirl behind them as his mood changes. "E-Elastigirl! I'm a huge fan! Are you with Voyd and this young woman?"

Humbled but poised to help Hannah out, she helps her out. "Yes! And thank you. Heh, no need to be alarmed. I'm here to help this young woman out." She holds Hannah's shoulders from behind. "Her friend was part of the chaos the Backdraft Gang caused. …She just needs to see him."

Out of nowhere, Winston and Brick emerge. "They're with me, officer!" said Winston, now in his usual suit-and-tie attire.

Convinced and grateful for Elastigirl's help, the guard acquiesces to Hannah's request. "Okay, ma'am. Follow me."

The guard takes the group to Axel's room. They see him lying on his bed. A fresh bouquet of flowers from the hospital staff sits in a simple, glass vase. He's alive and unharmed, but he lies there without saying a word.

The same aura now encapsulates him, shimmering with ominous intent…

Hannah rushes to him with tears from her eyes. "Axel!" She kisses his forehead. "We did it! We did it! We can go home now!"

Her face close to his, she smiles softly. She presses her forehead up against his, taking a deep breath. Just like when he did to help her calm down, she whispers. "Come back to me, Axel. I… I miss ye. …I'm here, Axel."

Thinking back to when Axel held her hand before arriving in New Urbem, she does the same to him before Axel, slowly but surely, opens his eyes.

"I…I was takin' a nap, you know," he whispered softly.

Hannah smiles wide and hugs Axel, almost getting on the bed with him. Kissing his cheek over and over again, he chuckles as she smiles wide. Turning to a nervous Violet, he opens his arms.

"Everything  _i_ _rie_ , Vi?" he said with a smile. Violet smiles and runs to hugs him, extremely glad to know he's better. "Did you kick some ass for me?"

"I kicked some ass," Violet nodded with happy tears as Axel chuckles.

"Good. Keep kickin' ass."

He pats her head as Elastigirl looks on, smiling. "Hannah is a brave hero and a braver woman," she said. "You two make a great team." Hannah and Axel stare at each other, smiling wide. They both see the same aura and deduces what's about to happen.

"Where's Gravitas?" said Axel.

Violet points to Gravitas outside his room, immersed in a tight forcefield. Scared of Brick, he cowers in Violet's makeshift prison. Axel laughs.

"Atta girl!" He offers a loud high-five as Violet accepts, giggling with pride.

"No time to worry 'bout that eejit!" Hannah walks up to Gravitas with a huff but stops herself, sensing the urgency. "We have to head to the hotel."

Panicked, Voyd finally speaks, pointing at their auras. "Um, guys, look! It's shimmering."

Hannah and Axel both look down and up as they look at each other with a nod. Axel tries to get up, but the pain from surgery and the wound are too much. Hurt and upset, he crumples on the bed.

"But… isn't this illegal?" said Violet, turning to her mother.

Elastigirl sighs and shrugs. "Even if it were, I doubt they'd find them," she said.

Winston chuckles, shaking his head. "Fine. We never saw any of this, correct?"

The group nods as Hannah opens up a portal, conjuring a clear image of the hotel in her mind. Together, they roll Gravitas and step through it.

* * *

Back at the Hideout, the gas overtakes Gabe, dispersing as soon as it entered the chamber. Satisfied that Gabe seems to be okay now, Moon calms down and thanks Megann. Calm and composed, Megann's voice emerges once more.

"Administering smelling salts and opening chamber doors."

Gabe slowly comes to...

* * *

Now in the hotel, the Parrs hand Gravitas over to the duo. Resting Axel near the fountain, they spot the same girl from the hotel and the falling sedan with her parents. She rushes over to see Hannah – now as Voyage. The young girl has tan skin, darker than Voyd's. She has braces, long brown hair, and clear green eyes. The aura doesn't shimmer any more. It's a clear, blue-and-white aura… and it's taking Hannah, Axel, and Gravitas back. Frightened but eager, she approaches…  _without_ the teddy bear.

"Um, M-Mommy and Daddy want-wanted me to say thank you for saving us," the little girl said nervously, hugging a surprised Voyage. "Me too!"

Voyage smiles, a look of genuine glee on her face. She hugs back. "Thank you! Remember… Supers are special! Let yer Ma and yer Da over there spread the good word. Okay?"

The little girl nods with a rosy smile. "What's your name?"

The aura starts to brighten, but Voyage remains calm. "Voyage,  _a leanbh_. That's 'my child' in Gaeilge, my homeland's language."

Admiring Voyage's brogue, the little girl pronounces the phrase slowly and carefully while she giggles. Voyage tells her to come closer and she does. "My real name's Hannah," she whispered. "It'll be our little secret, 'kay?"

"Okay, Hannah," the little girl replied. "My name's Cathleen, but you can call me Cathy."

 _Cathleen_. Voyage – and Hannah – smiles, committing the name to memory. Turning Cathleen to Voyd, she points at her. "D'ye know her?"

Cathleen nods. "Oh, I watch her all the time! Hi, Voyd!" She waves hello as Voyd, smiling wide, waves back.

"Yep! She's not only a great Super and a great friend of mine," Voyage said before looking at Voyd. "She taught me to never give up. Even when times are tough and we're  _ragin'_ and mad. Never give up, Cathy."

She smiles at Voyd as Voyd, truly touched by her friend's words, cries tears of happiness. She turns back to Cathleen and sighs. "Remember that, okay?"

Cathleen nods and hugs both Voyage and Voyd. "Okay! I want to be a Super when I grow up. So, I won't give up! I'll never give up!"

Axel cheers Cathleen on. "Fight, Cathy, fight." Voyage mimics the cheer as a pumped-up Cathleen beams wide, waves goodbye, and heads to her parents.

Before they leave, Voyd shouts, "Voyage!" Voyage turns to find Voyd running to hug her. They lock in a deep embrace as Voyage starts to cry. "I'll miss you…"

"Aye… me, too," Voyage whispered back, sniffling. "I'll see you again. I swear on me Ma's gravestone, I  _will_ see you again.

Voyd nods. "Promise?"

Voyage laughs softly. "Oh, aye. …I'll never forget you, Karen."

Voyd giggles and hugs Voyage harder. "Corsello. Karen Corsello. And I won't forget you too, Hannah-Faith Yates." She extends a fist out. "'When evil attacks…"

The aura starts to turn into a white, circular dome. Voyage fist-bumps Voyd back with a giggle before stepping into the aura. Voyd beams at Voyage's last words…

"'The Portal Pals strike back.'"

Seeing the rest close by, she waves goodbye as they wave back. Axel nods to Brick as she nods back with a grin.

"See ya, little man," she said.

Violet sees Axel as he waves as well. Mouthing "I'll miss you", Axel causes Violet to cry as she smiles, mouthing "Me too…" before the aura envelops them.

Much like the day at the hotel a month ago, the aura shines brightly before it contracts and fades, glimmering like a light shower. …With Gravitas, Axel, and Hannah no longer there anymore.

Voyd slowly sits on the fountain's edge and smiles to herself, keeping Voyage's – and Hannah's – face in her mind forever. "Have a nice voyage back, Hannah," she whispered with a soft giggle.

* * *

Gabe opens his eyes slowly as they glow blue-and-white. "W-What's going on?!"

The next couple of moments seem to be in slow-motion. Gabe and Moon spots a downed Axel, a weakened Holden, and Voyage – transforming back into Hannah – drying her tears. Gabe rushes over to Holden, but the latter rebuffs him with a dirty glare. Moon quickly whips out a patch that neutralizes Holden's powers.

"As long as this is on, don't worry," Moon said before looking at Holden with a smug smile. "It sticks."

Holden looks the other way as Hannah motions to Moon the destroyed Stim-Booster Gauntlet. Moon nods and calls the proper authorities as Hannah hugs a tearful Gabe, whispering the events that happened. Heartbroken, Gabe looks on as the man he used to love… a criminal… is being hauled off to prison…

* * *

Days later, Hannah and Moon find themselves in Axel's hospital room. A tad more futuristic than the one in New Urbem, they all spot news regarding Holden Rudd – now known in their world as Gravitas – and his detainment.

"He's on his way to the Hotbox," Moon said. "He won't be a pain in our asses any time soon. I'll take care of Gabe. He'll be okay, but he's hurt."

Hannah looks at Holden with a look of sheer contempt. "Hope Holden rots for what he did. Gobshite prick." Almost fully healed, Axel places a hand on her shoulder as she turns to him, now with a look of relief… and affection. "Yer such a dose, Axel. Don't  _ever_ jump in front of a bullet again!"

She gives him a teasing punch as Axel kisses his teeth, chuckling after he does so. "I promise. Learned my lesson. Don't go punchin' another hole in me." He rubs her arm to ease her worries.

Hannah smiles and blushes. "Thanks, dicko," she said lovingly, rubbing his shoulder.

Sarcastically rolling her eyes, Moon interrupts, thinking about the people Hannah and Axel met. "So, Brick's huge and everything, that's fine… But… Voyd? Karen was her name, right?" She puts her sunglasses on, slides them down, and smiles with interest.

Hannah and Axel shake their heads. Axel chuckles and turns to Hannah. "Thirsty?"

"If by 'thirsty', you mean crushing on her, then aye. Like a wee camel in New Toronto…"

They laugh as Hannah looks out the window, staring at the sky…

_"I'll see you soon, Karen. I'll always have your back, no matter where. No matter what._

She smiles as she shares a touching moment with Moon and Axel, staring into Axel's hazel eyes. Axel looks back as they both smile fondly at each other…

_**The End** _

* * *

Down in the Hotbox, an underground, cube-like maximum security prison, Rogue Anomalies are locked in their cells, cut off from the outside world.

Disgraced and kept in prison for theft, Holden stares at the ground. Thinking of Kali and the rest of the Backdraft Gang, he sits in quiet, horrible solitude…

Until he sees a ghostly spectre in his room. "Holden Rudd," it spoke in a sultry voice.

Spooked but keeping his composure, he raises an eyebrow without saying a word.

"Do you desire to have the magic to change your fate?"

Holden looks at the cold, hard steel floor of his cell. He looks up and at the spectre. "Maybe. Who wants to know?"

The spectre laughs, forming into a ghostly image of a woman, beautiful… curvaceous… and ominous. "The very being that will gift it to you… if you join me." It extends a hand out.

Holden chuckles. "Don't know. I ain't a crony. What makes you think—?" Suddenly, he gets lifted in the air! Neck first. "Okay, okay, shit!" He gets dropped as he catches his breath. "Who the hell are you?"

The image materializes into a woman of other-worldly beauty and mystery. Her clothes are fine silks, draped on her body like a woven tapestry at the Louvre. Her purple hair sways in the breeze with no air in the cell. She extends a bejewelled hand out and smiles with fiendish intent. Holden cowers but the woman eases his worries with a purr.

"No need to fret. Call me… Circe, my dear."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N** : How's _that_ for a 'post-credits scene', eh? If you read up to this point, thank you soooooo, so, so, so much for reading! I'll thank everyone later. If there's any issues or questions or whatever else, lemme know. The first epilogue - _**Memory**_ \- will be up soon. The second one - _**Voyage & Current: The Spark Beyond Dimensions**_ \- will also be up soon. ...On my birthday! November 5th! 25 years lost in the thicket. Heh.
> 
> Stay Golden. And, of course, my lovely readers...
> 
> Less than three. Later days. - Thicket


	13. Deleted Scene: Coffee Break

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set before Two Steps Forward, Karen spends a bit of bonding time with Hannah and Axel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got deleted scenes for your faces! <3
> 
> Enjoy my first one! :D All feedback will be welcomed.

"So, in your world, you guys are known as Anomalies. Is that right?"

Finding any signs of the Backdraft Gang was tough for the group. With the arrival of two, never-before-seen heroes, the citizens of New Urbem were ecstatic. The public's desire to see the gang brought to justice prompted the gang to go to ground.

The lull in the action provided Hannah and Axel enough time to know more about Karen and the rest. Starting with Karen, the three friends enjoyed coffee in a quaint little café, tucked away from prying eyes and wandering ears...

"Yeah, it's a bit cliché," Hannah said with a soft giggle. "It was the perfect name for us, though." She took a sip as Axel frowned. "The two of us got our powers at the exact same time…along with a third of our world."

"A third?!" Karen's eyes darted to the side behind her round glasses, dangling at the edge of her nose. She pulled them back up as she leaned over. "That's around, like, two billion people!"

"Aye." Hannah sighed, taking a sip from her cup. Karen gasped in shock. "To be fair, we _all_ got affected by it, but some didn't make it. It was random. The rest of us were either taken for a loop or became – well – people like us."

The sweetness and coolness from Hannah's peppermint tea reflected the acrimony and the uneasiness of recalling her and Axel's situation. With a soft smile, she rubbed her cheek. "New Toronto didn't get the worst of it, though. Thanks to what Axel, my friends, and I did for the city, the people there are somewhat appreciative of Anomalies. Everywhere else, though…"

"It depends." Axel spoke up, taking a sip from his hot chocolate. The creamy flavours helped clear his mind as he sighed. "Some countries love us. Others hate us. If Anomalies like us rebelled or something, a few of them might look to go to war with us. In our version of the U.S., it's like your situation but worse." He pointed to Karen.

Karen's face crinkled in bewilderment. _"Worse?_ I mean, I wouldn't know about that." She stared at her cup of tea, remembering her past - and bitter - memories. "You know about Supers like me. Our voices were silenced. We couldn't do anything! The NSA was designed so that the public could prevent…" She stared around the cafe before leaning forward with a hushed tone. "... _people like us_ from becoming…well..."

Her stance was hunched over, a grief-stricken expression was etched all over her face. To Karen's delight, Hannah rubbed her shoulder, prompting her to glance up at her with a smile.

"Don't beat yourself up," Hannah whispered, her brogue soft. "What's done is done, right? No need to get all banjaxed reminiscing about the past. You helped make a change."

With a nod, Karen grinned. "Yeah! I guess I did. Thanks!" Hannah smiled back. "It also helped that I wasn't alone anymore. I get to go on missions with the rest of my team and Elastigirl! That's fun!" She paused. In the back of her mind, Axel's words gnawed at her brain. "But, Axel, what did you mean by _worse_ , if I may ask?"

Axel raised his eyebrows, tilting his head to the side. "Well, in our world, we have a phrase. 'Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to—'"

"Doomed to repeat it? Heh, yeah. It's a pretty common phrase here, too. Why the phrase?" said Karen, her turquoise eyes twinkling with curiosity.

Hannah and Axel turn to each other with a fascinated look on their faces as Axel continued. "Well, let's just say that the 'worldwide opinion' of us ain't so hot. The goat-heads of our world didn't _really_ get the memo..."

"Goats aren't idiots, Axel! They have feelings too," Hannah grumbled before taking a long sip.

"Was I talking about goats, though?"

"...Ugh, no. But that doesn't mean—"

"Well, tell Billy he won't be offended, then!" Axel chuckled at his odd pun as he turned to Karen. She shook her head with a teasing smile. "See? An easy-peasy solution when dealing with Hannah. Never fails, you know."

"Stop it, Axel. You might make her do something you don't want her to do," Karen winked, sipping on her tea.

"Yeah? Like what—" Suddenly, his cheek was pinched by Hannah – aided by a small, blue portal. "Ow! Ladies!" Axel turns to the two girls with his hands raised in the air. "I'm not _actually_ talking about...They're just goats! It's just a simile!"

Karen giggled profusely, seeing Axel's nose flaring up in annoyance. Despite their mission, it was nice spending time with others. And spending time with Hannah and Axel took her mind off of hero work. For now, she was just Karen Corsello, spending time with good friends.

_Silence._

"Hmph. So, Karen! Elastigirl, huh?" Axel smirked. "She's pretty great, isn't she?"

Karen beamed, trying hard not to blush. "Yeah! …She's the greatest! The way she handled the Screenslaver was so cool! Ugh, she's perfect. I'm just _so_ happy she believes in me now. Heh, she's pretty amazing!"

"Yeah, I bet she's _pretty_ great, isn't she?" Axel raised his eyebrows repeatedly.

With her eyes widened, Karen blushed, coughing up small drops of tea as they splashed on her green halter top. "W-what? Whatdoyou…I mean, what do you mean?" she chuckled, putting up a less-than-startled façade.

"Mmmhmmmm..."

"Axel!" Hannah gasped, slapping Axel on the shoulder. "Don't be a dicko."

"Y'all can't let me have one?" Axel grumbled flippantly. "Really, Hannah?"

Shaking her head with a surprised smile, Hannah pressed her finger on Axel's lips. She shared a warm giggle with Karen as the three young heroes relaxed in the café.


	14. Deleted Scene: Her Name Was Stratogale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set a couple days after Two Steps Forward and the day before Coffee Break, Axel relaxes with Helen and Violet, helping Helen mourn a fallen friend...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more deleted scene!
> 
> I woke up at 7 a.m. and decided to write. Hope y'all enjoy! <3

With his head down, Axel heard the footsteps of New Urbem’s citizens as he made his way through the city. Compared to New Toronto, his daily routine was different. It _felt_ different. It wasn’t every day someone from a completely different dimension was a new guest in the city.

And judging from the citizens’ reactions, Axel knew it.

But for him, his face showed the tell-tale signs of a journalist in the making. All of the lessons he learned at school echoed like an alarm clock in his mind; their words serving as a constant reminder of his purpose, both as a superhero and as a person...

_Hit the ground running, Axel. Find out what’s new, what’s recent. Stay on your toes. ‘Tekking time en' laziness.’ That’s what Gran-Gran said. Just keep moving forward._

In trendy casual attire – paid for by Winston – and sporting his trusty shades, he scoped out New Urbem, memorizing the local hangouts and famous landmarks. It didn’t take long for him to spot something new…and _very_ recent. Axel glanced up at a museum, somewhat remarkable in its design. A new banner was unfurled in front of the entrance as he decided to take a closer look.

Its ivory walls almost seemed to dazzle like diamonds in the sunlight. The design was modern, but not like New Toronto’s high-tech – and admittedly over-the-top – museums. This one had a more classic and modest look to it. Large windows adorned the exterior as Axel peeked at groups of people admiring classic self-portraits. With a bit of a smile, he repeated the name on the banner.

“The New Urbem Museum of History and the Arts - Introducing the Supers of the Generations Exhibit: Past, Present, and…”

“Future.”

Axel whipped around to see Violet, now in her civilian attire. Dressed in purple-and-pink casual wear, her dark-blue eyes met Axel’s as she smiled, spooking the usually laidback hero.

“Cheese on all the bread, Vi! You scared the sh…” Axel suddenly looked over his shoulder to see Helen not far behind him, raising her eyebrows. “I mean I thought you were, like, a bad guy or something.” He nodded to Helen. “What are you two doin’ here?”

“Well, since the ­ _you-know-what-gang_ is hiding from us, I thought we’d…you know, hang out with you. You seem cool and Hannah’s with Kare-Bear, so I thought, ‘Hey, why not put myself out there?’” Violet giggled. “It’s…I mean…I just wanna get to know you more. You were cool taking down those bank robbers with my mom yesterday.”

Axel chuckled softly. “I _seem_ cool? I’m _totally_ cool.” As he made his way up the stairs, he slipped, losing his footing for a split second before he barely maintained his balance. He turned on his island charm once again. “…Yeah. I’m ice cold, y’know...”

Violet laughed, nodding her head with a smirk on her face. “I’m sure Frozone’s way cooler than you.” With a friendly shoulder bump, she headed up the stairs into the museum.

“Hey! That ain’t true!”

Helen walks past Axel, sporting a self-satisfied smirk. “It’s _completely_ true,” she whispered with a chuckle, heading into the museum with her daughter.

“Helen! You’re not helping!” Axel pouted as he followed the Parrs.

* * *

 

Hours passed.

Together with Violet, Axel had a personal tour of the museum, curated by her. Her knowledge of art and history captivated him, listening intently through her most eager moments. Other than that?

He thought about his three biggest loves: Hannah, comic books, and for some bizarre reason – anime.

Regardless, all of those thoughts faded when Axel stepped inside of the Supers exhibit. His eyes wandered at all of the memorabilia and pictures of heroes from Violet’s world; his mind quickly followed, reading up on classic, cape-wearing crusaders.

He finally stopped, staring at pictures of two different Supers: Stratogale and Stormicide. Looking at her picture, Violet followed his eyes, staring at the black-and-white portrait.

“She used to work with my mom,” Violet whispered.

Helen continued, a warm smile on her face as she recalled fond memories of Stormicide. “She was friendly. _Always_ willing to be the butt of the joke. You would’ve liked her. Stormy had that carefree charm you had.”

She stepped forward as she remembered her old teammate…before seeing Axel look at Stratogale. Her mood changed, donning a furrowed brow as she crossed her arms. “And…that’s Aimee,” she said, pointing at Stratogale’s picture.

A confused Axel turns to Violet. He whispered, “Who’s Aimee?”

“Stratogale’s first name,” Violet whispered back, her own frown forming on her face. “Mom was…close with her.”

“Her name was Aimee Gale Hawkins,” Helen said. Axel watched as she sat down on a bench, staring fondly at the picture of the beaming young hero. “She always used to say to me, ‘Helen, I always didn’t like my middle name, you know? But I do, now. I can make a difference. I can save the world!’”

Mirroring Aimee’s optimistic personality, Helen stretched her arms out wide, keen on not using her powers. “‘I can be an inspiration to someone! You’ll see. …Someday, I wanna be just like you.’ She…Aimee was there when I married Bob. I…”

Suddenly, Helen cried, hunching over the bench. Memories of attending Aimee’s funeral filled her mind as she tried to wipe the tears from her face. Violet and Axel watched as Helen struggled to put on a brave face, trying – and failing – to control her emotions.

Axel frowned. Looking at Helen mourn the loss of Aimee triggered his own memories of watching his grandfather’s death, the sound of harsh waves crashing his island home firmly in his mind. He remembered his friend sacrificing himself to make a difference…to trade his life for Axel’s grandfather. He thought about how helpless he felt…and how helpless he was feeling right now.

He ground his teeth, clenching his hands as Violet stared at her friend, a sorrowful expression on her face. She held on to Axel’s arm, wrapping her arms tightly around it. He looked down as she smiled, her big eyes meeting his narrowed brown. A twinkle formed in her irises as she nodded.

It was as if Violet said: _It’s okay. Don’t worry, I’m here for you._

Leading him forward, Violet hugged her mother as Helen reciprocated the gesture.

“This’ll be between the three of us, okay?” Axel uttered. “Let’s just…stay here for a while.”

The Parrs nodded as the three heroes shared an intimate moment, grieving the loss and remembering the history of Aimee Hawkins.

Axel stared at Aimee’s portrait, remembering her name, face, and identity.

_Stratogale. Aimee. I’ll make sure to do right by you…_

**Author's Note:**

> Now you can enjoy the story in full.
> 
> Be excellent to each other. :)


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